The King and His Pawns
by Snowlia
Summary: Amongst their busy lives as mages and teens the girls discover a book...an old book that leads them on a quest to discover the horrible truth of what happened to the first mages 1,000 years ago.
1. The Storm

A/N: So looking back at this story I must admit I am rather embarrassed at the earlier chapters. A massive rewrite is the only solution of course! So I currently have no beta for this rewrite but if anyone would care to volunteer it would be much obliged. Due to this lack of editing I refuse to take responsibility for any and all mistakes made in this incredibly short chapter :) And so without further ado, I present you with the revised chapter one…

Marlin stared blankly out the castle window, overlooking into the stormy seas. Enormous waves churned and crashed, sending waves of shock up the castle walls. If he hadn't already seen so many storms of this same measure assault the castle he would have feared for the buildings structure, perched so precariously out on the peninsula. Lighting flashed and illuminated the dark room for an instant and he squinted his eyes against the intensity.

"Marlin?" A timid voice asked from the hallway. The merprince turned and faced the hesitant maid, silhouetted by a flickering candle in the hallway. He couldn't tell who it was, Annabel? Esmeralda? Mardia? It didn't matter much anyway, the servants tended to all blend together after a while, he told them apart more by their personalities than their faces or names.

"Yes," he answered as civilly as he could. For a long while now he had been withholding his fierce temper and arrogance, or at least trying to. Hopefully his patience would be rewarded soon enough.

"My apologies, your highness," she quickly curtsied low until he nodded, he may have been changing but the servants had yet to forget his short temper "but it's very late, is something the matter?" Her question was neither friendly nor familiar, only a servant trying to serve a superior.

"No, thank-you, just watching the storm." He turned away from her and back to the window but watched her reflection in the glass as she paused uncertainly.

"Very well Your Highness." She curtsied again and was gone.

Alone again he stared to the seas, almost hypnotized by the frenzied state of the water. Another flash of lightning and he was staring into his own reflection's wide dark eyes, half hidden by a shock of brown hair that fell into his face. Annoyed he quickly brushed it aside.

It was in his moment of vanity that he saw it; a sparkle among the furious waves. Forgetting all else he leaned close to the glass, trying to make out what it was, but it was a tedious task. Once he saw it, it was swallowed again by waves. For a few perilous moments it went as such but Marlin couldn't stop watching the thing, whatever it may be.

And then he saw the eyes; two big brown eyes, staring right back at him. It hit him fast and hard. He was rooted to the window. He couldn't move. Pain shot down his back and across his limbs, the pain of grief, of loss and of despair and the most painful of all, unfathomable hope. A dark wave curved up and covered the creature, forcing it down and out of Marlin's sight.

With a deep gasp he withdrew his hands from the glass and stumbled back a few steps, shaking and horrified at what had just happened. Shakily he drew the drapes closed and made a very hasty decision to retire for the night.


	2. The Mage Prophecy

**_AVALON_**

_**Disclaimer **I do not own Avalon Web of Magic or Quest for Magic for that matter._

**_Chapter 2.The mage prophecy_**

Kara stared aimlessly out the window. Emily was looking up something or other on the computer and clicking up a storm. Kara just rolled her eyes and continued staring out the window.

"Are you done yet?" she asked after a while. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and instead of hanging out with Molly, Heather and Tiffany she was stuck here, and she wasn't even needed here right now. Sure she had duties as a mage, as the Blazing Star she had to help protect the web, Aldenmore, and The Fairy Realms, but she had duties to her friends and her social life to.

Emily sighed, "No not yet Kara, hold your horses."

"Hey guys check this out!" Adrianne burst into the room holding a leather bound book. "I found this book, look at the title." She flung it down on the table and the girls crowded around. The cover read "Merankawo" 

"What the heck's a Mer-ena-wena-ka-wikay-thingy?" Kara asked perplexed.

"It's Mer-en-a-ka-wo, stupid, it's a name." Adrianne replied annoyed.

"Who had a name like that?" Emily chimed in.

"Well apparently him." Kara responded in a duh tone.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Questioned Emily

"Look at this." She pointed to the inside cover.

"_Dear reader,_

_I would first and foremost like to explain to you what you have so strangely stumbled upon. This is my writing from the very beginning to the end, or at least the end for now, of the story of 6 extraordinary kids. The Blazing Star, The Warrior, The Healer, The Forest Prince, The Time mage, and The mer prince."_

"Wow, where did you find this?" Emily stared amazed at it.

"I don't know it was just kinda sitting on the table this morning." Adrianne shrugged. "Look at this." The next page held a poem, it went like this.

"**7**

_Three boys they lived in this new land_

_Three girls they came, three gems in hand_

_The Warrior, the Healer, and Blazing Star_

_Their magic it had come so very far_

_Through battle the kids were together from the start_

_But as time moved on they became close at heart_

_The Wizard watched with envy in his wake_

_He preformed a spell knowing what was at stake_

_The Forest Prince became his unknowing slave_

_Viciously pushing the Dragon bonded towards his grave_

_The time mage pushed back so the problems began_

_Uncertainty led to war with man against man_

_The merprince and Healer were torn in two_

_Their friends were still there but rage obscured their view_

_In fear for their lives they hid beside the mage of air_

_They vowed to stop this chaos and despair_

_The final battle, like a game of chess by all means_

_The Warrior and Blazing star stood at opposite ends as queens_

_The last curse was the most horrid of all_

_They hissed it in rage and soon took their fall_

_Soon the men and Healer met again_

_An eerie stillness in knowing each had once been the others friend_

_The old Wizard then saw his chance_

_He changed their appearance with just one glance_

_The Forest Prince saw in a piece of glass_

_The image of the darkest of beings and these thoughts did pass_

_Though it not true he believed it so_

_That it was his entire fault, he had to go_

_He had pushed away his friends and caused all this pain_

_He had destroyed Aldenmore and it had all been in vain_

_Whether he really had or not it felt all the same_

_He ran, he hid, and he hung his head in shame_

_The Healer, to ran in fear_

_That the time mage was close, that her end was near_

_So she fled to waters unknown_

_This left the time mage all alone_

_So now they sit all six wait_

_I am the seventh with my pen I'll dictate_

_They wait for the day the Drake will re-hatch_

_Then it will be a race to make all 5 gems their finale catch"_

"Whoa, what's that about?" Kara looked puzzled.

Emily flipped through the pages but it was all blank. "Well," said sitting down and turning back to the page, the others sat as well. "Let's analyze it." She looked at the first four lines. "It obviously means us and the boys, or well maybe somebody _like_ us when we came to Aldenmore."

"Line five and six must be referring to them falling in love…awww." Kara commented smiling.

"The next part is saying something about a wizard that's jealous of them. It looks like he did something to the Forest Prince, like mind control," (At this Kara gasped in horror) "and he attacked the time mage." Adrianne continued.

"Then I guess it was Blazing star and Forest Prince vs. Warrior and Time mage. Then the merprince and healer were in the middle." Emily noted. "Then it's something about the last battle and the Blazing Star and Warrior fell." All three girls were silent. It was common knowledge that Adrianne and Kara disliked each other severely, especially since the whole cave thing when Kara grabbed Zach's power and almost seriously hurt him, but these two killed each other. "Then this old Wizard turned them into other creatures and the Forest Prince thought it was his entire fault and ran then the rest did the same."

Kara stared at the writing "Maybe…we shouldn't tell the boys about this." The others nodded and Emily knew that Kara was thinking about how Lorren would take the news that this Forest Prince was such a traitor and caused all this horror, it was best he didn't know.

"What do you think they're talking about here? Like was it the first mages or what?"

"I think that's exactly what it is, the story of the first ever mages." Emily answered Adrianne's question. "Nothing here really pertains to us except for the last part that they will try to make the gems their finale catch when the Drake re-hatches. It gives no clues to their arrival or anything like that so I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open." Suddenly a loud bang sounded through the room, it was the front door opening. Quickly Adrianne stuffed the book behind a few others on a low shelf, (sadly it would be forgotten there for quite a long time.) just as the door opened and Kara's friends entered.

"Hey Kara!" Heather smiled brightly. "Hi Adrianne. Hi Emily." She smiled trying to be friendly but it was apparent that she had no interest in them what-so-ever.

"Come on K, the mall waits for no girl!" Tiffany nodded eagerly.

"Yeah come on, mom's waiting in the car." Kyle piped in "Adam, Marcus, Joey and I are gonna check out the new sports store while you guys are shopping and the mall closes soon so we don't have that much time so let's go!" He waved his arm in the general 'out' direction and Kara laughed.

"Fine, fine, fine, hold your horses." She started packing her things up.

_"I don't see any horses."_

_"Yeah me neither." _Dreamer's voice accompanied the ferret's argument. She looked up to the wolf striding in the room with Ozzie in between his shoulder blades.

Marcus looked down at the animals "Aren't you scared the wolf's gonna eat that ferret?"

Adrianne scoffed "I wish." Ozzie stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh my gosh, I could have sworn I saw that ferret stick its tongue out at you!" Molly giggled.

"Now where did my book go?" Kara wondered out loud, her eyes searched the room.

_"Looking for this?" _Lyra dropped a book in front of her. Kyle leapt back.

"Whoa! Are you sure that thing should be running around all free like that?" he asked skeptically.

"Ok first, her name is Lyra and she's a leopard. And she is perfectly safe to be around. By the way the wolf's name is Dreamer and the ferret is Ozzie." Adrianne defended the animals.

Joey bent down and petted Dreamer's head. "He's really cool; I mean I never thought I'd actually pet a real wolf!"

Adrianne blushed "Thanks."

Dreamers tongue lolled out, _"I like him" _and then he said in wolf tongue "I think you're cool to." (Of coarse Joey had no idea what he said or that he'd really done anything more significant then just make a weird churning noise.)

"I think he likes you to." Joey smiled at her and her comment.

"Ok I'd better go. See you guys later!" Kara called out as she and the rest of her group exited down the stairs.


	3. The Rabbit

**_AVALON_**

**_Chapter 3._**

Kara and her posse hopped out of the tan mini-van, happy to be out in the fresh air (all nine of them had just squeezed in a van built for eight) and darted to the mall entrance. Once inside the boys and girls split up. "We'll meet back here at closing time!" both groups called.

"So Kara, is it true? Does Adrianne like Joey?" Tiffany asked in a gossiping whisper once they were out of ear-shot of the boys.

"I don't know, honestly."

"Oh please, they are _always _checking each other out. Don't you think so Molly?" Heather rounded on her other friend who was aimlessly searching through a clothing rack.

"What? Oh, I don't know." She shrugged it off.

"Come on Kara, who else does she even have a chance with?"

"Zach." Kara responded without thinking, she quickly shut her mouth.

"Who?" Tiffany and Heather demanded eagerly.

"Just a guy who helps us out at Ravenswood."

"Wait, other people work there to?" Molly asked puzzled "I thought it was only you guys."

"No, there's me, Emily, Adrianne, Zach, Lorren, Tasha, Marlin, Kee-lyn, and Jaaran." That was sort of true, they helped them out with the magical part of Ravenswood, but no body would ever see them there. "Would this top look good on me?" She held up a hot pink top with sparkly half sleeves trying to change the subject, but unfortunately her friends were like dogs on the trail of a rabbit.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"What's with this Zach guy?"

"Do you like any of them?"

"Hold old are they?"

"Are they cute?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill guys, it's not that big of a deal, I'll…introduce you sometime." She refused to answer any further question on the matter.

After their mall excursion was over the teens pilled back into the van and headed for Ravenswood.

"Ok guys see ya!" Kara jumped from the car and ran to the manor as soon as they pulled in the massive driveway. Dashing into the foyer she found Emily and Adrianne waiting with an air of impatience.

"What's up?"

"A new portal is opened." Ozzie explained.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kara exclaimed.

"We were kind of waiting for you." Adrianne sounded annoyed.

So they trudged out to the portal field where, sure enough, a new portal glowed bright. Stepping through, they found themselves in a wooded area.

"About time!" An impatient but friendly voice called to them. A cute, teenage Goblin girl walked towards them.

"Tasha!" Kara screamed embracing her in a huge hug. "We missed you!"

"We missed you guys to!" Then she added in a lower voice. "The boys really missed you, you were all they could talk about, don't tell them I said that though!" The girls blushed.

"Did you make this portal?" Kara asked.

"No, it just popped up and my instruments told me where it led so me, Lorren, Marlin and Zach came right over. We were waiting for you. Hurry though; it won't last long if my calculations are right, just long enough to have a short visit."

They followed her down a long path until the clanging of metal met their ears. The girls paused wearily but continued anyway. They soon came to a clearing and discovered the clanging of metal was coming from a duel, a duel between Lorren and Zach. Kara gasped in horror.

"Easy, their just practicing." Tasha assured the worried girls.

"Yeah, but they could still get hurt." Kara watched each movement of their swords with fear in her eyes. Zach's blade came threateningly close to Lorren's side and Kara squealed. Both boys' sword movements got wilder and fancier with each swing. Tasha rolled her eyes. She knew they were just showing off to the girls. Kara looked both fascinated yet terrified at the fight. Adrianne pretended to look uninterested but her she watched every move like a hawk. Zach seemed to have the upper hand, his blonde hair was flat with sweat however the goblin boy didn't look like he was doing to bad either. Emily was just horrified by the whole ordeal. She hated fighting.

She looked over to see Marlin, the mer-prince standing close by, smiling she gave him a quick hug then turned quickly back to the fight so he wouldn't see her blushing. "I hate fighting." She muttered to him "It's so stupid to fight like this."

"I completely agree." He seemed to brighten at the fact that she was happy he wasn't in the battle.

The fighting continued for a good 15 minutes or so until finally, Lorren worked his sword under Zach's feet and Zach tripped. Lorren raised his sword up high in victory and Zach groaned in defeat.

Despite herself Kara smiled. She walked forward and caught Lorren in a hug. "I missed you!" she smiled.

Lorren's eyes met Tasha's who was watching them with a sly grin on her face. He blushed and hugged her back "I missed you to."

"Don't you ever do that again!" She said fiercely, "You could have hurt Zach."

"Oh and I couldn't have been hurt?"

"Well, I guess, but you're the greatest swordsman, like ever, and you really could have done some damage." Lorren tried not to let pride consume him at this extreme compliment of hers.

"I'm sorry milady. It won't happen again." He gave one of his fleeting bows that could make a girl swoon, and Kara giggled.

Adrianne helped pick Zach back up (who was at the moment totally humiliated) and walk him over to a fallen tree.

"You fought great." She noted as she looked for any wounds on his arms.

"But I lost." He hung his head.

"Hey everybody loses sometimes. You just tripped, it happens to everybody. It doesn't mean Lorren is a better fighter then you. (She wasn't 100 sure that was true though)"

"Hey!" Tasha called all eyes to herself. "I wanted to let everybody know that my greatest potion ever is done!" She stated proudly.

Lorren sighed, "For the hundredth time Tasha, no body cares about a potion that turns small rodents in to pancakes."

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny Lorren. No this potion is one that can turn any humanoid in to an actual human. To clarify this significant for some of you with less…complex minds," she seemed to pointedly look at the boys, "it will allow us to go to earth with out any questions."

"This is great, you guys can come to Ravenswood with us to help out and stuff." Emily beamed.

So the rest of the evening was spent figuring out where and when to meet and Tasha getting the exact calculations for the mirrors. Far away back at Ravenswood the strange book which they had found had suddenly acquired a new page, sadly they had forgotten all about it already…

'_I begin my story in the new land of "moorland" a stupid name if I ever heard one but a name none the least and of a very special land indeed. It is in this new world that I and many other magical creatures have made their homes. We came here to escape the wandering eyes of those who do not share in the fortune of knowing the wonders of magic. Here we can create our own world so our gifts will no longer be hidden and we shall no longer fear the dark hearts of those of Earth. Our belief was it would be peaceful if it be only creatures of our ways in this new world and that the people of Earth would be better without us, I cannot say I know much about what became of Earth after our departure but I can say things were not all peace and harmony between us. I came with the elves (them being of my own taking) and watched as something called "The fairy circle" was set up, or re-setup to be more specific. Everything is pretty peaceful between us, with the exception of the Goblins and Fairies of course. Those two groups hate each other with a burning passion and try to pretend the other doesn't exist (This is where those awful tales of goblins being evil comes from, the fairies hated the goblins and humans loved the fairies and so, to many untrue and unjust assumptions were made about these normally peaceful green people.) I had heard news that there was a young fairy princess as well as a young goblin prince, both in their early teens (It had often been a joke among many that one day the two would fall in love, this rumor upset many goblins and faeries' saying it was the most horrible thing they had ever heard.) _

_Anyway, it was the beginning of our new world and boundaries and such were just being set as I walked down a less traveled path. As I was walking I heard the most beautiful voice call out to me saying "Come here_ _Merankawo, come here." I believed I was hearing things seeing as how no one else was around and it was very rare that one could pronounce my calling right on the first attempt. I continued my stroll convincing myself I had heard the winds whistling and mistaken it for a female voice. Then much to my surprise it came again and this time I saw the lady who the voice belonged to. She was a lady of the wood, possibly a tree in human form._

"_Greetings wood lady, May I ask why you call my name so?"_

"_Yes elf. I am Rica of Earth. The Earth fairymental. I have a special quest for you."_

"_Why my dear lady do you have a quest for a commoner such as myself who hath done nothing so special in my life to deserve even conversation with such a powerful elemental such as yourself."_

"_I beg your services for there is a group of young children in need of your guidance."_

_Needless to say I was a bit taken aback by such a wondrous woman wanting my services in a 'quest' that seemed more like babysitting young ones._

"_Are they you children?" I asked wondering if that was what was needed and that she was called off on a real quest and needed a kind soul to guard her young._

_She giggled at my question. "Dear no. These are adolescent children in need of guidance in their journey, a very dangerous journey that you have been called upon to aid them in."_

"_Fair lady, I accept this deed with all my heart and agree to watch after these young ones. How may I help?"_

"_You will follow them on this quest of theirs and watch them. But to do so you shan't be in this body."_

"_I shan't?" _

"_No, do you accept your change of form to continue?"_

_I paused, I rather enjoyed my body but I was needed. "Yes." _

_She smiled and the world became larger, or rather I became smaller, I was a bunny-rabbit.'_


	4. The First Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Avalon or The Wizard of Oz

I would also like to say that even though in the pervious chapter it said the earth fairymental's name was Rica it is actually Ria, that was a typo, sorry.

This chapter is probably one of the most uneventful but I guarantee the next will make up for it. I did have a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope you like it!

**_Avalon_**

Chapter 4.

The girls returned home through the portal, after saying their farewells and agreeing to meet again soon. Back home things were as boring as ever, especially in school. During Language Arts everyone in the class was either asleep or on the brink of it, when their teacher, Mrs. O'limmy made an announcement.

"Everybody I have a very important announcement!" (Yeah, like that really got the attention of a class of eighth graders.) "We will be holding a 'play night'! Different groups of students will perform plays of various fairy tales for the student body."

"I bet there doing this to make up for the disaster of 'A Mid-Summer's Night Dream'" Joey whispered to Marcus.

"I hope to have as many sign-ups as possible!"

Later at lunch Kara and her friends sat outside. "Hey over here!" Kara called to Emily and Adriane who were about to sit down at a table some ways off. They exchanged looks of uncertainty but followed Kara's gesture to her table. The boys welcomed them but the girls just glared and shot Kara a 'how could you?' look.

"Hey are we gonna do one of the plays? You know for the play night?" Adam asked.

"Well we defiantly are." Heather nodded, "Uh…I guess you guys can be in it to, you could be like the extra people or something." Heather looked at Emily and Adriane like they were lower life forms, because in school, they were.

"Actually," Kara spoke up "Adriane, Emily and I are going to do our own play." She received shocked stares from the entire group.

"Kara," Tiffany sounded hurt "Who else is going to be in it? It can't be just you three."

"We have other people. There's Lorren, Tasha, Zach, Marlin, Kee-lyn, and Jaaran."

"What makes you think they'll be in a play with us?" Adriane spoke up.

"They will, they will." Kara smiled slyly.

Kara had somehow managed to convince her entire group to go to Ravenswood together, so together they walked, up the driveway to the ancient manor.

"Are you sure it's safe, last time we were here for longer then 15 minutes we were attacked by a rabid wolf!" Heather's eyes darted back and forth as if expecting it to lunge out at her from the shadows.

"Of coarse it's safe." Kara smiled, "We wouldn't take you here if it wasn't. So what play are you guys gonna do?" She asked her friends.

"We were thinking about Cinderella of Sleeping Beauty or something along those lines." Tiff stated proudly. "What are you guys doing?"

"The Wizard of Oz." Kara sounded very matter-of-fact.

"The Wizard of Oz?" Emily asked.

"It seemed appropriate." She smiled

Once inside the manor they heard the creaks of the floor boards under someone's weight upstairs. Kara's group looked apprehensive but Emily, Kara and Adriane smiled.

"On second thought, I don't think we'll need you guys, we've got all the help we need." Molly, Heather and Tiffany looked relived but the boys looked a little disappointed as the mages raced up the stairs.

In the library they found the boys, Kee-lyn and Tasha all crowded around a book shelf.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Moving the book shelf." Tasha turned to face them. "You told us you needed more room to practice, so we are going to push it back." The girls stepped back as the boys set their hands against it.

"My jewel won't move it so we have to do it the old fashioned way." Zach explained.

The boys set their hands upon the old shelf and pushed, moving it about a millimeter.

"So, have you guys ever been in a play?" Kara asked way too innocently.

"Why?" panted Lorren.

"Because…Ikindofsignedusallupforaplayatmyschool." (Translation: I kind of signed us all up for a play at my school.)

"YOU WHAT!" The boys gave the shelf an extra hard push by accident and pushed it over. It hit the ground with a horrible thud that shook the room and most likely the whole manor. The entire room was covered in dust, books flew and a few pieces of wood splintered off, causing them to duck. When it was finally clear enough to see, everyone was coated in dust and they all glared at Kara.

"What?"

"A play?" Marlin asked aghast.

"I think it sounds fun!" Tasha piped in.

"I don't think so." Lorren said in a 'not in a million years' tone of voice.

"Aww, come on Lorren!" Kara whined.

"No!"  
"But you'd make a cute Tin Man!"

Under the dust he blushed and gave a small smile then quickly erased it. "Wait, a what?"

"A Tin Man, for the Wizard of Oz! That's our play!"

"The Wizard of where?"

"Oz."

"Never heard of it." Tasha shook her head.

"You guys are deprived."

"You see I have the whole cast planned out. Marlin will be the Lion."

"No he will not!" Marlin crossed his arms.

Kara continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Lorren will be the Tin Man."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Zach will be the Scarecrow."

"Why do I have to be a bird?"

"She said scarecrow, not crow!" Adriane sighed.

"So…I'm a scary bird?"

"No!"

"Emily will be Dorothy."

"Why?"

"Because you all ready have the goody-goody attitude and your hair's all ready red. Tasha will be the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Hey! Why do I have to be a Wicked Witch?"

"Because you are a witch and you're already green!"

"That's discrimination! And I am a _sorceress _not a witch."

"Same difference. I, of coarse will be Glenda the Good Witch of the North."

"Why is the North good and the West bad?" Kee-lyn asked.

"Because the guy who wrote the play felt like it."

"Actually," Emily interrupted "There is a reason; you see The Wizard of Oz was one huge allegory written about the election between…"

"I don't care. Anyway, Jaaran will be Oz."

"Cool."

"You really thought this whole thing through in one day." Emily noted impressed.

"You got anything better to do in algebra? Adriane and Kee-lyn, you guys will be extras wherever we need you."

"Can I be the Wicked Witch of the East?"

"No Adriane you cannot be the Wicked Witch of the East."

"Darn it."

And again the argument continued until they arrived at some sort of an agreement. But while they talked, not even five foot away that next part of the magic book reveled itself, except now the book was trapped under the enormous bookshelf which had been toppled over.

_I sat in a small glade and waited…and waited…and waited. My impatience was growing stronger every second. Milady Ria had instructed me to sit in this glade and wait for three girls. I questioned how they could find this place; everyone was new here as I had said before, this is a very new land._

"_Hello." An uncertain voice reached my ear. I turned quickly to see a young girl with fiery red curls stepping cautiously from the wild thicket that surrounded this haven. She wore a green gown with the symbol of Aquatainia embroidered on the front; no doubt she worked in the castle but was certainly not of royal blood. _

"_Ah, finally!" I scoffed with an impatience I am not proud of. "You decided to show up!"_

_She gave a start of surprise; she had obviously not seen me (why do rabbits have to be so short?). "Oh, ah, yes, sorry. The prince's seahorse was not feeling well and they needed me to help take care of her." She rubbed a glowing blue jewel on her wrist with un-ease._

"_Please forgive my rude behavior." I begged softly. "I am nervous too."_

"_Well get over yourself, we have work to do." A cold voice stated. Behind us was a young lady who neither of us had noticed. Hair as dark as the Raven's wing fell about her sunned face. A fierce faced wolf stood at her heel. She wore tough clothes made of leather and hide. Then with much more noise then the other two combined a third and finally girl stumbled before us, making quite a mockery of herself. Golden hair was tangled with leaves and her equally as gold dress was torn in various places where the bramble had fought her. As she straightened up I realized that this could be none other then the beautiful fairy princess who was unquestionably the most beautiful in the realm. _

"_May I ask for you ladies' names?" _

"_I am Victoria." The dark haired girl responded, "And this is Thorn." Her wolf growled its greeting. They both seemed rather rough, forest people I presumed._

"_I believe you already know my name, I've never met anyone who had to ask." This princess seemed to be losing her appeal with every word. "But my name is Isabella, just to be proper in my greeting." She smiled a dazzling smile that could win anyone over._

_The third girl kept her head lowered, another sign of one who has worked under the eye of royalty. "My name is Elizabeth." She quietly announced._

"_Well," I slapped my furry brown paws together, "We have a lot of work ahead of us ladies." I took in Victoria's amber paw shaped gem, and Isabella's unicorn horn that hung round her neck and nodded, "Yes, we've got a lot to do."_


	5. The Cavern

I do not own Avalon...or anything else that is making lots of money…or any money…

Sorry if I take Marlin out of character at all, please keep in mind he has only been in one book at the time I am writing this.

**_Avalon_**

Chapter 5.

"I refuse to be dressed up like a lion." Marlin stated firmly to Emily as they walked back to her house. She rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him. They were on their way to pick up her towel and swim suit. Marlin's sea dragon Niva wasn't feeling too good and Marlin suggested having Emily take a look at her.

Marlin's face was no longer pail green but tan like Adriane's and his hands were no longer webbed. He had taken some of Tasha's potion (Which he swore tasted like sea water) and he was now human. They took a short-cut through the backyard and into the clinic.

"OK I know I have some medical supplies that can help, let's see what we need…" She muttered to herself looking through the shelves.

"Hi Emily. What are you doing back so soon?" Emily looked up to see her mother, Carolyn Fletcher, staring at her in her white lab coat. "Oh." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw Marlin. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Emily's mom." She extended her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Fletcher, I'm Marlin." He shook her hand.

"What are you two doing here?" she smiled.

Emily blushed and inwardly groaned. "Marlin's…horse, Niva was hurt and isn't looking too well, I think she's just catching an average bug, but I'm gonna check it out just to make sure." Emily covered quickly.

"Do you want me to have a look at her?" Mrs. Fletcher asked concerned.

"No, mom it's OK, I've got it." She grabbed some supplies and shoved them in her bag. "I'm going to go grab some stuff from upstairs, I'll be right back." She dashed out of the room and up to her own. She sorted through her clothes drawers until she came to her bathing suit.

"You have _got _to be kidding me." She looked at the red bikini. Her friend had given it to her right before she left Colorado for Pennsylvania. She had vowed never to wear the thing but looking through the drawer she had no choice, it was the only one that fit. She was more of a tankini girl herself and this thing seemed way to flashy, especially when your working alongside a super cute guy. Groaning, out loud this time, she shoved it and her towel in the bag just as her mom opened the door.

"Honey?"

"Yes?"

He mother walked in with a smug grin on her face.

"What?"

"He's cute."

"Awe, mom, don't start."

"What? Your right about that age. Do you like him?"

"Mom, just because I bring a guy home doesn't mean he's my boyfriend, he could be just a friend ya know."

Her mom raised an eyebrow. "You're dodging the question."

"I don't need to have this conversation." She walked out of the room blushing harder then she ever had.

She met Marlin at the bottom of the stairs.

"I like your house." He said looking around at the animal cages and through the doorway that led to the living room.

"Thanks," she smiled as she led the way back to Ravenswood.

A half hour later they walked down a damp set of stairs in the Aquatania castle. Marlin's human potion had worn off by now and he was green with webbed hands again.

"You can change in there." He motioned to a small room along the stairs, "I'll meet you down there."

She walked inside and shut the door. As she changed she wondered if she could help Niva. This wasn't really an issue earlier, she hadn't even thought of it. Nah, of coarse she could do it, Marlin hadn't sounded too worried and he loved Niva more then anyone. He had changed a lot since she had met him he wasn't pushy or spoiled anymore, now he was sweet and caring, a huge step.

She carefully descended the steps in her suit, looking at the walls. It was beautiful down here in the caves beneath the castle. She could hear the waves crashing against the brown stone walls outside and could hear it flowing in the cavern at the bottom of the steps.

"Whoa." The cavern took her breath away; she understood why Marlin kept it for Niva's 'room'. It was circular in shape with brown rock walls and stalactites and stalagmites and some parts where they came together to form one pillar. The water was warm and came to just above her belly-button. It got deeper closer to the wall and she could see an underwater passage way out. There were a few breaks in the wall where water from the ocean would come flowing out like a water fall for a couple seconds when the waves crashed up against it. "It's gorgeous down here." She turned to Marlin who stood beside a sick looking Niva.

He stared at her with a strange look on his face, somewhere between shock and embarrassment. She flushed to, remembering what she was wearing. Instead of wearing the traditional sea dragon rider outfit he was wearing swim shorts with his chest exposed.

"Why aren't you wearing the sea dragon rider's wet suit?"

"I wasn't planning on ridding her today and I was just too lazy to find it and put it on. This is easier."

She rolled her eyes. "So anyway, what's bugging' Niva here?" She leaned in close to her.

He shook his head, "Niva can tell you better then I can."

"Hey Niva what's wrong?"

_"I don't know healer, I feel strange." _

"What do you mean?"

_"Like there is a lot of power nearby."_

Emily looked at Marlin confused and he shrugged his shoulders.

_"I don't like it in this cave." _She broke the pause with her thought.

"Are you sure you don't want any medicine or anything to make you feel better?"

_"No,"_ she shook her head violently, _"I just have to get out of here!"_ and with that she bolted out of the cave via the under water passage.

Marlin and Emily exchanged looks of total confusion. "What was that about?" Emily asked she hadn't done anything; she probably would have been better off just staying at home.

"I don't know, she's been acting really weird." Marlin looked really worried.

"Oh Marlin," she was about to comfort him when a huge splash erupted behind her and sent her slamming straight into him and forcing them both under. She opened her eyes under water for a split second and saw her own hair, reddish brown, blocking her view. Then suddenly it moved and she realized it wasn't her hair but something else. A huge amber eye met hers for a split second and from all the extreme pain that rushed through her she thought she would die of emotion. The screams of men and women rushed through her ears and all the pain and sorrow for it all almost chocked her. She surfaced beside Marlin, gasping for breath.

"What was that?" she screamed.

"I don't know!" he yelled, equally shocked. The water through out the cave was now lapping against the walls, greatly disturbed. Marlin and Emily were now up to there necks in the water.

"It was right behind me, you must have seen." She realized her stone was pulsing with light brighter then it ever had before; she couldn't even look at it.

"I…" he was cut off as a wave crashed and water poured through one of the cracks on top of them, they moved over a little. "I didn't see anything, it went so fast, all I saw was it was big and a reddish color."

"That's all I saw to. Did you feel that? All that power and pain it brought with it? I don't think it wanted to hurt us, it didn't seem afraid either which is usually the cause of spur-of-the-moment explosions like that. I think Niva felt it to, that's why she left so fast."

"I felt it, but I don't understand. Why would she just leave us? If she felt something here she wouldn't have abandoned us with it."

"She didn't know what it was either, she felt it before we did and that was a lot of power it probably made her sick beyond reason. She didn't try to abandon us. She didn't know it was here and wasn't thinking straight anyway"

"How could we have not seen it? That thing must have been the size of a horse and this water is all clear, how could we have missed it?"

"It's a her."

"What?"

"_It _was a girl."

"How…"

"I don't know, and I don't know how we didn't see her either."

All the water in the cave was pulling towards to opening in the cave; they knew that was the way the creature must have gone afterwards. Emily wrapped her arms around Marlin to hold her steady and keep herself from being pulled down with it. They looked at each other, barley an inch apart and nervously blushed for a second before Emily's gem stopped glowing and they were pitched into darkness. It wasn't really darkness but after being in that extreme light, it looked black. Slowly their vision came back but the room still seemed darker then before. Emily felt worn out; she hadn't even done any magic. Her heart beat was going a mile a minute and she guessed that was the cause. Resting her head on Marlin's shoulder she let the tears she had been holding back fall.

"Hey," he sounded surprised. "What's wrong?" he stroked her hair and wrapped an arm around her as her eyes darted around the cave.

"I…I don't know, this cave itself just makes me sad. I think it made her (_her_ being the creature) sad and I'm feeling that."

"Do you want to leave?"

"No, it's kind of like a sad and happy feeling at the same time. I don't want to leave just yet."

Marlin nodded but didn't quite understand, he had a feeling Emily didn't either and it would be better for her if he just stayed quiet. All was silent for a minute while Emily tried to get her emotions straight. She looked at Marlin and he smiled back, she could tell he was worried about both her and Niva. Without knowing what she was doing or why she was doing it, she reached up and kissed Marlin on his lips. His eyes shot open for a moment in shock then he closed them and kissed her back. She deepened the kiss and whispered his name gently. They finally broke apart, neither having any idea how long they had kissed and looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry, this place is, something's just weird about it." She stumbled over her words.

"It's OK." He smiled.

"Maybe I should get out of here." She walked passed him (as fast as she could in water), grabbed her towel and things and trotted up the stairs.

Marlin looked after her feeling hurt and confused. Had she really liked him, or was it just this place? He put his back up against a stalagmite and looked at the stairs, even though Emily had all ready gone around the corner and was out of sight. He was staring to feel better, even though he had no reason to. The girl of his dreams had just kissed him then run away scared, yet he felt calmer. The cave seemed to be brighter, almost bluish in color. He gasped realizing at once it was the healer's magic, but not Emily's healer magic. He whipped around but nothing was there but a very faint blue light, almost impossible to see if you hadn't been looking, and the water a little disturbed as if something had just been there.

As soon as he reached his stuff along the wall he whipped out a knife and held it out before him. "Show yourself!" he commanded, nothing moved. This place was creeping him out, he grabbed the rest of his stuff and began up the stairs, he would go find Niva and make sure she was feeling at least a little better.

_"Midnight."_ A voice echoed through the cavern. He turned around and looked back at the cave, he had been down here many times before and nothing this strange had ever happened. Yet as he stared the whispered word bounced across the walls in echo, followed by a small little laugh.


	6. The Cat

I do not own Avalon.

I would first of all like to thank everybody for your kind reviews, I love hearing them. I would also like to apologize for the long wait for this chapter, I was on vacation. I wasn't particularly happy with the next part of the ancient book but I had to speed things up a bit in it. I hope it's not too bad…

_**AVALON**_

Chapter 6.

Emily went all the way back through the portal and to her room in her own house. She snuck in so her mother wouldn't see her tears and think the wrong thing. She threw her bag on the floor and herself on the bed as she burst into tears. A million pains flooded through her. Loss, hopelessness, loneliness, a broken heart, fear, and hate filled every part of her body. Right now she didn't want to be alone; she considered calling Indi but decided this really wasn't that big of an emergency for him to come, who she really wanted was Marlin. She couldn't go to Marlin though, not after what just happened.

_"I kissed him."_ The thought echoed in her mind. In her few-and-far-between thoughts of being with a guy she always pictured him kissing her, not the other way around. She couldn't believe she had actually done that, she hadn't even thought about it, she just did it. It felt like it wasn't even her, more like somebody else's mind in her body, but she knew that was silly. Worst of all was the way she handled it afterwards, just running away, but not before she caught a glimpse of the hurt look in his eyes. She really did like Marlin, and it was an amazing kiss (her _first _kiss) but she had left like she hated him or something.

She wanted him right now more than anything or anybody. She wanted to feel his hands on her again and his lips on hers. Something stirred inside her and she thought for a moment that the kiss was nothing, she wanted so much more from him…no! She shook her head trying to clear her mind from those strange thoughts she never imagined she would think and tried to focus on something else, something more important, the beast.

The creature and her shared something and she couldn't figure out what. She looked at her jewel, it was glowing dimly now. She sat up on her knees and whipped her eyes with her sleeve. It struck her just then, _magic._ She and the creature had the same type of magic, but that was impossible. There was only one healer…right?

The next day Emily was interrupted from her flute playing.

"Emily!" Her mom called up the stairs. "Kara's on the phone!

"OK!" She sat down her flute and picked up the phone.

"Where have you been?" Kara asked.

Emily smiled. "I just wanted some time alone."

"Still freaked about the thing in the cave huh?" Emily had of course told her friends about the creature but they knew nothing about what had gone on between her and Marlin. "Well get down here, we got another open portal!"

A half hour later she was there, only Kara had been only half right about the portal, it was actually a mirror. It was set in the wall at the end of a hall in Ravenswood manor with ivy carved into the border. It was there by no accident.

Kara went through first, she being the most experienced in mirror travel, followed closely by Lyra, Adriane, Dreamer, Ozzie and Emily.

Kara landed delicately on the marble floor of the goblin laboratory next to a huge glistening mirror. Tasha stood proud beside it as the others hopped out.

"See, told you I could do it." She smiled smugly.

"OK, OK, guess I owe you five bucks then right?" They turned to see Lorren leaning up against a table. He had on a black short sleeve shirt and dark jeans. Next to him was Zach, wearing almost the same thing only with lighter jeans and a white Tee. Marlin stood a few feet off looking very uncomfortable with the whole scene. He wore a white buttoned up shirt with a high collar and cuffs with kaki colored pants.

Kara smiled at Lorren. "Hey Lorren."

He returned her smile as Tasha rolled her eyes again. "So anyway, about this mystery creature of Emily's," She pulled out a big book and opened to a dog-eared page. "Did it look anything like this?" On the opened page was a picture of a horse, with a dolphin's tail. Its wild mane was going in all directions at once and it glared at them with a regal look in its eyes.

Emily glanced casually at Marlin, "What do you think?"

"I think that's her." He nodded without looking up.

"One problem," Tasha said lifting the book. "These animals don't exist anymore. They evolved into sea dragons."

"It was no sea dragon." Emily shook her head, "It had to be that."

Suddenly out of no where a blob of green and black fur landed right in front of Kara and she screamed, jumping back into Lorren.

"Easy," he smiled holding her up "It's just Cat." Sure enough, it was a cat, a rather fluffy cat. She had green fur with black trimmings, including her stomach, ears, muzzle, paws, a mask around her eyes and the underside and tip of her tail. She was slightly larger and puffier then most house cats. Her light green eyes watched Kara curiously. She then turned and looked at all of them. Tasha smiled.

"Cat has been here a long time." She patted her head, "She drops by unannounced a lot."

"Where does she live?" Emily asked as Kara pulled herself together, completely humiliated. She ran a hand across the cat's back, horrified to find her body was crossed with scars. Part of her ear was missing and parts of her fur were matted together with burns.

"She lives out in the North Forest." Tasha pointed out one of the windows. Kara walked over to investigate. The goblin laboratory was rather high up so Kara could look down upon the kingdom from it. It was an amazing sight. She cocked her head and looked at a dark forest along the Northern border.

In the middle of the fairy realms was the fairy circle, the five kingdoms spread out around it with a forest, a mountain or a large river to separate them from the neighboring kingdom so each was isolated from the next. The North Forest in the goblin Kingdom was their border with the end of the fairy realms and the beginning of the Other Worlds. The forest was still part of the kingdom but was very dark indeed.

"What did this to her?" asked a mortified Emily.

"We don't know, nobody goes into the North Forest, she's the only creature I know that actually does." Tasha explained, picking up the cat.

"Poor kitty." Kara ran her hand down the cat's scared back.

"She must be OK; I mean she'd have the sense to leave if it was really bad I guess." Lorren reasoned. "She's been here as long as I can remember and she seems fine."

Tasha cleared her throat. "May I remind everybody that we have job to do, one that does not involve Cat!" She tapped her foot impatiently. "Now, Emily and Marlin, tell me what you saw again." Emily and Marlin told her (again) what happened. Cat sat on the table watching them all, ears pricked forward as if listening. She casually licked the back of her paw every now and again.

"So we're pretty sure it was a sea horse and it was reddish in color." Tasha went over the facts.

"And it was in a lot of pain." Emily added.

They tried for a while to figure anything else out, but came up with nothing. There was a debate on whether they should investigate the cave or let it go because it was simply a creature that wanted to be left alone. The whole time Emily and Marlin didn't look at each other or speak to each other and everybody could hardly help but notice. After a while they all gave up and went home, discouraged but they weren't through with this mystery yet.

Once everyone had left the goblin castle Tasha turned to Cat. "Hey Cat." She smiled petting her in-between the ears. "What are we going to do?" she asked, she was really asking herself but she said it to the cat, knowing it would not respond. She always told Cat everything and Cat seemed to understand. "There are just so many things going on right now." She continued, "The Dark Sorceress and The Spider Witch are growing in power everyday. The Fairy and Goblin Kingdoms are arguing again. This strange creature showed up and we have no idea if it's connected to the dark magic or not. Emily and Marlin, well there's just something weird about them today." She said musing over her friends silence towards each other. "And…well, you know what else." She muttered giving a defeated smile to the cat as she batted a lock of Tasha's black hair with her paw. "Your right." She smiled "It'll be OK." She stood up with a sigh and walked back to her studies and potions.

Cat got up as well and strode out of the room. She walked through the great mahogany doors, leaving Tasha behind. She padded silently down the hallway to the stairs, then down six flights. She rounded a few corners and waited by an oak door. After five minutes it opened as someone walked out, and like a snake she slipped through their legs and into the kitchen. A small bowl of fish was sitting waiting for her. It took her less than a minute to finish the whole thing, and then she sat and waited again.

The cook eventually turned his back and she jumped up and grabbed a steak in her jaws. She bolted up to the counter then out the window to the palace gardens. She continued her loping pace until she came to the entrance of the North Forest. Without a hint of fear she entered. The forest was extremely dark; hardly any light could make it past the thick spread of tree branches. As she went deeper in the forest the trees began to thin out, replaced by scorched or highly damaged tree stumps. The skeletons of those trees littered the ground. Ground was raked up or burned in places, rocks were smashed in two. The ground all around her was scared, but still rather dark as many trees were still left standing.

With an extremely graceful movement she leapt to the top of a boulder and looked into a dark cave, about 15 feet in front of her. To the right of the cave was a small brook, to the left an assortment of uprooted trees. The whole front of the boulder was black from burns; part of it was still smoking. A pile of bones from all kinds of creatures sat just outside the cave. They were mainly broken into fragments or had huge teeth marks in them. A sound of movement came from inside the depths of the cave along with the clank of a chain.

"What do you want?" A harsh voice snarled.

"I brought you dinner." She replied in a happy feminine voice.

"I told you," anger was rising in the voice "I don't want to eat."

"Now we all have to eat." She said as if talking to a small child who was refusing his diner.

"Only beings that wish to live eat, and I do not."

She tossed the steak in the cave anyway, "You never know, tomorrow is a new day; there might just be something worth living for." Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

He snorted in disgust, "You've said that everyday for as long as I can remember."

"Well today I heard some interesting news I think you'll want to hear. Now eat and I'll tell you."

"I am not a child so do not speak to me as such." But the steak was dragged back into the shadows and she heard him rip a piece off.

"The Healer and the Mer-prince told a very interesting story today, they were acting kind of funny, I think they like each other, which is not surprising seeing as how…"

"If all the news you have is adolescent's insignificant and pathetic excuses for a love affair then I am not interested."

"You were in love at their age." She mewed quietly.

"And look where it got me!" He roared. The chain binding him to the cave rattled viciously as he stood. "Living in a cave, wasting away to nothing, living only for the day I die and listening to an incompetent cat whose only intention seems to be keeping me alive so she can torment me with my past!" With that a huge stream of orange fire, tinted with blue shot out from the shadows directly at her. She leapt behind the rock and used it as a shield. The fiery inferno spread out around her in a deadly blaze. Sadly her tail was not fast enough, adding yet another burn to her collection. At her pained yowl the fire ceased as if it satisfied him. There was more shuffling inside as he lay back down and continued his food.

"Now what was your news today?" he asked casually.

"She sadly licked her fried skin when she remembered her news and hopped back on the rock (which was smoking more then ever) with even more pep then before.

"The Healer and the Mer-prince said they were in a cave under the Aquatania castle, as you know it's only half as big as it used to be, and something jumped out at them, something big and red" She paused.

"Continue."

"And they felt magic, healer magic. They said it looked like a sea horse. A big red sea horse with healing magic."

Silence followed her statement. "You know what this means don't you? It's almost over, with her help, it will all be over."

Back at Ravenswood the next part of the ancient story silently reveled itself…

_Mages, that's what the earth lady had referred to these girls as, but I was unsure if that was the proper title for them. They had no grasp of magic or what they were meant to do with it once they did grasp it (only to have it slip through there fingers in a matter of seconds). _

_Elizabeth was the healer. She tended to the wounded and felt their pain. Indeed I had been right; she worked in the Aquatania castle and helped take care of the sea horses in the stable. By the use of potions she could breathe under water but was not a mermaid herself. Quickly she and I became friends and I discovered that though she was cheerful, her life was not all desirable. Her father had died in battle and now it was her and her mother. Though the quietist she had big dreams that she was sure would never come true for she considered herself weak and unattractive._

_Isabella was as hot headed as she had come across. She thought highly of herself and every boy she met she could wrap around her finger with ease. Her calling was the blazing star which enhanced the magic of others, very helpful indeed. The beauty and power a unicorn showed in her everyday. It was not long before she met Mizaria, a strange spotted cat with golden wings who became her bonded. As the princess of fairy's she could have anything she wanted and used that to her advantaged every moment (being one of the most spoiled brats I have ever met). I should not speak ill of her though for she does have a pure heart._

_Victoria was the third, the warrior. She attacked and defended, being the most powerful in battle. She was meant to fight for the light but was just having a difficult time escaping the dark. Her parents were always away traveling the realm, leaving her and her elderly grandmother alone in their house in the woods. Thorn seemed to be the only one whom she would let get close to her. Emotion never came easily to her, unless it was anger, so it was hard to tell what she was thinking or feeling._

_I grew very fond of these girls and they in turn became very fond of each other, becoming the best of friends. It was not long before we discovered our purpose, to keep the dark and evil magic out of Moorland. It was not necessarily one enemy so we had to be prepared for all the odds and ends of evil that came to us. We became quite a team, Victoria would attack, Isabella would give her extra magic, I was the distraction and helped hold their magic together and Elizabeth would heal all injuries afterwards. I was still bothered though. _

_When the fariemental spoke with me, she said there were to be five mages, we only had four. It was not long however before we got our fifth member. _

_I was in our usual meeting place, the clearing where we all first met, when I first heard of the trouble. Thorn and Victoria were arguing. Thorn was a mistwolf, a very powerful animal that roamed most of the wilder areas of Moorland. Thorn however lived with Victoria in the wild country instead of joining the others hunters that ran free. Now the pack leader was asking her to join them, Victoria did not want her to go and Thorn was torn in two. A few days later I heard that the pack leader Starclaw had taken her with him. Victoria was heart broken and in some spur of bravery, or possibly stupidity, she went after her, alone. _

_She set off across the wilds of Moorland and along the way discovered a strange rock with glowing patterns. Where it came from we are still unsure, but one way or another it found her. Gladly she carried it for company for it seemed to have a mind of it's own and think for itself. _

_Most of their journey was rather plain so I will not go into it but along the way they found themselves walking along a rather high cliff, with a wall of rock to one side and a merciless drop on the other. After walking for a bit a horrible sound met their ears. A screeching noise like no other fell upon them as the voices beholders came into view. They were raficans, cousins to the raven but far different. They were larger and had a horrible voice that could be heard for miles. The tips of their wings were white, contrasting with their black body. A steel beak and enormous steel claws immediately fell upon the Warrior and her rock counterpart. They were out numbered even though there was only two, for they were powerful beasts. Desperately she whipped her magic about, trying to strike the birds, but she was too inexperienced and they were too powerful. _

_Then with the flash of a blade the birds fell to the forest below in a bloody mess. There stood a handsome boy about 15 years of age with sand colored hair. In his right hand he held a bloody blade. I was not there and neither one of them were ever great talkers so their exact dialogue is unknown. This boy's name was Cody and he lived alone with his winged horse William. Again neither was a great talker so I don't know exactly what happened but in a general over view Cody had saved her life and they quickly became friends. It was not long after, sadly, that they were attacked by a group of trolls and goblins who managed to finish off Will, much to Cody's dismay. _

_She also found out that Cody and Starclaw had a bad history together, he had never trusted humans and when the pack found Cody as a baby one of the pup mothers, Icerose, had taken to caring for him. After her disappearance Starclaw pushed Cody out of the pack where he lived with Will and no one else. _

_After this brutal attack the 'rock' began to shake violently and amazingly, hatched. It had been no rock but a dragon egg, a dragon called the Drake. It bonded with both Victoria and Cody. _

_Upon Victoria's suggestion they set out to a mountain lair where Icerose was being held prisoner. The trolls and goblins wanted information about her pack from her though she never said a thing. Together they saved her from the evil trolls and goblins and she rejoined the mistwolves. Starclaw apologized to Cody and now they are like brothers. He also let Thorn go back to living with Victoria._

_Now I must apologize for my lack of details in this part of the story, but whenever I asked for any more information Victoria retorted with "It's non of your business, now but out you furry little vermin." Which I must say hurt. _


	7. The Beginning of the End

A/N- Sorry about there being no breaks where there should be but my computer momentarily hates me so…yeah…also sorry for the EXTREMLY long wait, after chapter 8 is up things will go pretty smoothly. I also understand that Kee-lyn and Jaaran aren't really part of the immediate group but I needed two more characters for my play. Thank-you to Fred-Weasley-is-mine, Ember Ice, Firediva, Rainpath, and Sam's Firefly for your kind reviews! I was kind of If-y about this chapter so please tell me what you think of it!

_**AVALON**_

_**Chapter 7.**_

Kara sat down at her usual table with Adriane and Emily to her left and Heather and Tiffany to her right. "Hey everybody!" She called her friends attention, "Adriane has something to ask you." She and everyone else turned to Adriane expectantly.

She rolled her eyes and whispered "Do I have to?"

"Adriane!"

"Fine. Would you guys like to come to my house to watch a movie? Or technically the manor."

Tiffany began to say 'No thank-you' but Kara cut her off with a glance.

"I guess we could come." She smiled though it was obviously strained.

Adriane sighed, staring at the old T.V. set sitting in the Ravenswood library, looking very much out of place. It had taken what seemed like forever to get

the set up here and working. All it could do was play VHS, but that was all they needed from it. Tonight it would be everybody; Kara, Emily, Lorren, Zach, Marlin, Tasha, Jaaran, Kee-lyn, Adam, Molly, Heather, Tiffany, Kyle, Joey and Marcus. The thought gave her a head-ache.

"Hey Adriane." She jumped as a boy entered the room. "How do I look?" Lorren green skin was now rather pale, even by human standards. With his black clothes and hair he looked almost…

She eyed him, "Good, actually. Hey, I've got an idea. Come with me." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the room, past Tasha who yelped in surprise.

"Hi Tasha!" Adriane yelled back to her. Tasha's skin had turned a darker color, making her look as if from Latina descent. Marlin, Kee-lyn and Jaaran followed her; they all agreed they didn't want to know what those two were up to.

Heather eyed the woods with every bit of apprehension she had had before, then she scanned the ancient mansion.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this." She said through grinding teeth.

"Aww, come on Heather. It's not bad." Joey smiled.

"Well of coarse it's not for you, your _girlfriend _lives here."

"She is not my girlfriend!" his face lit up bright red.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Kara commanded "Just be nice to them for once OK?" She rolled her eyes, they were walking up the path but the manor was still visible over the trees tops.

As they reached the manor she threw open the doors and they all walked into the spacious foyer. The sky outside was beginning to darken, the pure blue fading to purple and red. The large windows in the manor caught the light and sent it through the building, lighting it up like a beautiful inferno. It looked like it belonged in the woods just as much as the trees did. Even Heather and Tiffany could find no fault to it. Not wanting to speak and break the beauty of it, Kara motioned to her friends to follow her up the stairs. They met another door and Kara gently opened it so they entered the library.

The library formed a D shape. The curve was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books, while the straight wall that faced west was made of about ten large gothic style windows. Across the ceiling ran numerous large flying buttresses. Book shelves filled the room except for a small portion, on the side opposite of the door. From where they were standing they could see one of the large wooden tables and a girl with long, wavy black hair sitting with their back to them. Kara put a finger to her lips for silence and walked up behind the girl.

"BOO!" She screamed grabbing Tasha's shoulders. Tasha screamed in return and almost fell off her chair. Laughing, Kara helped her up then motioned to her friends.

"This is Heather, Tiffany, Molly, Joey, Marcus, Adam and my brother Kyle. Guys this is Tasha, Jaaran, Kee-lyn," she motioned to the two sitting on a couch sitting where a bookshelf had once stood and now lay behind it "and Marlin." Marlin was standing a ways off leaning against the wall. Kee-lyn and Jaaran's hair was still green but it looked like they had dyed it.

"Hey everyone!" Emily's voice floated through the room. They turned to see her with a bag slung over her shoulder walking towards them. She smiled and greeted them all. Marlin seemed to slink even farther back into the shadows. She dropped her bag on a pile sitting next to the over-turned book shelf and gestured to the T.V. "What are we watchin'?"

"Zorro." Kara said with a phony accent, putting her bag down as well. "Speaking of which, where's Lorren? And Zach and Adriane for that matter."

"Who's Lorren?" Kyle asked.

"Kara's boyfriend." Tasha stated very matter-o-fact-ly.

She reddened "He is not! We're just good friends."

"Well either way I think you got some competition. He and Adriane ran back to her house about an hour ago."

Kara and Joey bristled, "Really." She pretended like she didn't care "why?"

"Don't know, she just grabbed his arm and pulled him back. It was weird."

She looked around "And where's Zach?"

"Right here!" he jumped out from behind a bookshelf, "I was just lookin' around."

For a few minutes they talked with light conversation, Heather and Tiffany taking a special interest in Zach, and much to Kara's surprise Kyle seemed to be talking to Tasha more then anyone, while the sun slunk down under the horizon. The door creaked open and they heard the floorboards creek as Adriane rounded the corner of a book shelf and came into view. There was an enormous smile with somewhat of a malfeasant glint in it across her face. "Hello."

They all eyed her suspiciously "What have you being doing?" Kara asked.

She ignored Kara, "I would like to present the new and improved Lorren." She indicated to the bookshelf she cleared her throat but nothing happened. She stalked behind the shelf and there was a bit of rustling before she dragged Lorren into full view.

Lorren still had on his black tee shirt but now wore baggy onyx cargo pants and had traded in his sneakers for a pair of thick black boots. Across his waist and boots hung silver chains and around his neck was a spiked dog collar. Black bands clung to his pale wrists. The sleeves of his shirt had been torn so the edges were frayed and a Henna tattoo of a bat with its wings outstretched was on his right shoulder. He had on black eyeliner and black lipstick as well. A fake silver lip ring hung on his lower lip and a skull earring was dangling from his left ear. His black and green hair almost entirely covered his eyes but it was clear he was nervous of what Kara was going to do. "Hey."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Kara exploded after she got her voice back. Emily and Tasha did their best not to laugh, everyone else just gawked.

"I gave him a make-over." Adriane beamed proudly, obviously in delight at Kara's reaction. Kara was at a total loss for words. "He looks better this way." Adriane smiled broadened even further as she slung her arm over Lorren's shoulder.

To break the uneasy silence that was sure to erupt in chaos between the two girls, Emily spoke up "Maybe we should start the movie now, it's all ready dark out." They all hastily agreed, desperate to get out of the uncomfortable silence.

There was two chair and two sofas. On one sofa sat Lorren, Kara, Marcus and Tiffany. It was kind of ironic since she had liked Marcus only about two

months ago and now had the perfect chance with him, yet with Lorren on her other side she could care less. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but even though he was dressed all gothic, like Adriane, he still looked really good. On the other sofa sat Heather, Adam, Emily and (somewhat reluctantly) Marlin. Kyle, Jaaran, Molly, Joey, Adriane and Zach contended themselves to sit on the floor while Tasha and Kee-lyn took the two chairs. Adriane was uneasy, on her right was Zach and on her left Joey. She knew Joey liked her, and she liked him back, and even though Zach had shown virtually no interest in her romantically, she still felt something, she wasn't sure exactly what though, for him.

"Where's the movie?" Emily asked.

"Ah, damn, it's down on my kitchen counter."

"I'll get it." Kara hopped up.

"We'll go to." Heather pulled Molly and Tiffany along behind her. Once out of ear-shot of the others Heather attacked Kara with questions "Why didn't you tell us you were dating someone? I thought we were friends!"

"We are, chill out. I'm not dating Lorren. Like I said, we're just good friends."

"He wasn't looking at you like a friend would; he was looking at you like a _boy_friend would." Kara rolled her eyes and continued to deny anything was going on.

"He is cute though." Molly spoke up, "Why don't you give him a chance?" Kara chose to ignore that comment.

About 45 minutes into the movie they hit the pause button. They had all agreed they need popcorn, and they were getting bored so they took a break. Emily volunteered to get the popcorn while everyone just kind of messed around in the library.

"Wouldn't it be awesome if you could fight like Zorro?" Kyle waved a stick he had found on the floor like a sword.

"You mean sword fight?" Lorren asked.

"Yeah."

Lorren exchanged a glance with Zach "Shall we?"

Zach nodded and they both grabbed their sheathes hanging on the wall and drew their swords. Kyle and the rest of the gang stared wide eyed at the blades.

Lorren and Zach watched each other for a moment then leapt at each other and their blades clanged together. They moved with every bit of verve as before. Sparks flew as they moved about with every bit of skill that Zorro had. Kara's friends watched in amazement while the rest looked on with interest, but not surprise. While everyone watched them, Marlin snuck off after Emily.

When Lorren and Zach finally lowered their blades everyone clapped but Kara muttered just loud enough for all to hear "Show-off." But in a playful way.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Heather breathed as she sat down next to Zach.

"I taught myself."

"Me too." Lorren huffed as he sat down as well.

"That was awesome!" Marcus whooped.

"Yeah…wish I could do that." Adam said admiring the swords.

"What is taking that popcorn?" Adriane after a few minutes passed.

"I don't know. I'll go check it out." Lorren stood.

"I saw Marlin go down to. I bet their making out." Kara snickered.

In the kitchen Emily watched the yellow and blue bag of popcorn go around and around in the microwave as it slowly grew in size.

"Hey." The voice made her jump. She turned to see Marlin standing uneasily in the door frame, shifting his weight from foot to foot every 10 seconds or so. His head was down and his hands in his pockets.

"Hey." She looked down at the floor as well. The microwave beeped and she took out the bag, letting it to cool, and inserted another, thankful for something to do besides look at him. She could feel his eyes watching her every move and tried to keep herself calm. Refusing to look at him, she opened the bag of popcorn and dumped it in the bowl, but she was involuntarily shaking and when she picked up the bowl she immediately dropped it, popcorn went everywhere. She hastily scooped up the popcorn and she blushed when he came to help. "Thanks" she muttered. When they stood they were face to face, there was no way she could get out of it or not look at him and make it look natural. She didn't care; she darted around him and dumped the fallen popcorn in the trashcan.

"Emily…" he pleaded quietly

She looked back at him.

"I can't take this…not talking to you."

She turned away and busied herself with another bag. "I'm sorry." She whispered after a minute.

"I know, and we can just forget it ever happened, whatever was in the cave made you act weird. Please, no one has to know what happened; can we just go back to being friends? I…I really miss you." he confessed.

She struggled with her voice for a moment, still not facing him, "I didn't mean for kissing you. I meant for running away afterward." Neither one of them moved, there was no sound except for the light singing of the crickets outside, neither knew what to say. The microwave beeped and she opened the new bag in another bowl. She poured the popcorn as slowly as she could, delaying looking at him. After a moment she heard his footsteps and felt his breath on her neck. It sent an involuntary shiver of anticipation down her spine.

"Would you run away again?" he whispered. She blushed and shook her head gently.

"No." She turned to face him and once again, they found themselves forgetting the rest of the world as they kissed. Marlin wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her in close to him.

After a minute passed he moved from her lips to her chin and down her neck. She giggled and squirmed a bit "Oh Marlin," she whispered "Marlin…Lorren!" she gasped.

He stopped, straightened up and looked at her curiously "Lorren?" She grabbed his shoulders and twisted him so he was facing the same direction as she was "Lorren!" he yelped as well. Standing in the doorway, sure enough, was Lorren with a shocked look on his face. The three of them looked uneasily at each other; Marlin and Emily's face flushed bright red.

"There's really no way to cover this up is there?" Marlin asked with a nervous laugh. Lorren shook his head. "I thought you and Zach were sword fighting."

"We were…and we finished."

"Oh."

"You know," Lorren began "we were all wondering what was taking so long with the popcorn and when Kara said she thought you two were probably making-out I'm pretty sure she was joking. We didn't actually think you were making-out…in Adriane's kitchen." He paused and gave them a strange look.

"Well we'd better get this popcorn up there." Emily was blushing harder then she ever had in her life as she picked up the bowl, but Lorren took it from her.

"I'll take this up there, you two kids have fun." He laughed as they blushed harder and walked back out of the room. Once he was out of earshot Emily turned to Marlin.

"You know he's gonna tell Kara who's gonna tell everyone right?"

He draped an arm over her shoulder, "So what? Let 'em know." He kissed her softly "I don't care."

She smiled "Me either." He opened the screen door and bowed her out past him into the night.

Lorren walked back up the stairs and into the library with the popcorn and handed it off to Adam.

"So what was keeping Marlin and Emily?" Kara asked "They were making out weren't they!"

"Uh…yeah…actually they were." Silence followed that statement.

Lorren's eyes darted from person to person "Well you asked!"

Marlin pulled Emily off behind a few trees where they could be alone. They could see the enormous windows of the library from here and they could see the light go out again as the movie continued.

"Emily," Marlin looked into her hazel eyes. The moonlight reflected on her face and hair making her even more beautiful "I know I've said this before but no one ever saw magic in me until you. No one ever saw anything in me until you and for that I am truly grateful." He smiled.

She blushed and cast her eyes down again "You know until you came along I was kind of alone. I didn't have a bonded or a paladin like Kara and Adriane. And Kara had Lorren and Adriane had Zach and I had no one. Well I guess I had Ozzie." She laughed thinking of the ferret, where was he anyway? "My jewel was totally useless in battle, so I felt really…unsafe with magic. I mean I had nothing to protect me when I really thought about it. Then I met you, and well you were a…"

"A bastard?"

"Not the word I would have chosen but yeah. Then a little later I got to know the _real_ you, the one most people didn't know about." She looked back up and met his gaze "Then I met Indy, thanks to you, and now I've got the two of you." He leaned down and kissed her with a smile.

"I'll protect you better then any old jewel could." He whispered. She smiled and let him kiss her until the lights in the manor turned on again.

The next chapter of the old book went as such…

_So things progressed as such and we made many discoveries as a team. Shortly after we met Cody, Elizabeth played a key part in our destiny to defeat the shadows, she found a unicorn. Now Isabella told us that when she acquired her jewel a unicorn was part of the process. That unicorn however departed from her and was of no immediate use to us. This unicorn however was suffering the shadows curse, when they consume you with their evil. Somehow Elizabeth helped the unicorn using her healing powers and it agreed to help us whenever she could. Her name was Starshine. _

_Our next big discovery was made by Isabella. She came across an ancient magic that had been used by the sirens for a millennia, spell singing. With this power we had the upper hand of the shadows. They had no chance upon us. Until of course, they learned to do it as well. So another battle entirely began. _

_Victoria's part came as a sacrifice, a sacrifice of Thorn. Thorn was lost_

_when one of the worst shadows of all, the Shadow Enchantress tried to take the West Mistwolf pack's magic. It was a complicated matter, but Thorn used her energy to hold the rest of the pack steady while they destroyed the hold the evil witch had on them. It took a month before Victoria could even face us through her grief for her fallen familiar. It was not long before kismet bestowed her with a new mistwolf, Moonfang. _

_For a length of time we thought we had seen it all, we were the masters of our bailiwick. All of Moore agreed and we were heroes…and heroine. Our true dilemma would not occur for a few more years, but its prologue began one night after one of Isabella and Victoria's myriad fights. _

_Isabella was walking along through one of her parents vast gardens (which more or less remind one of a forest) alone to clear her head of all her anger. The moon and stars were her only light as she walked. She had expressed how much she hated being the Blazing Star and all its added responsibilities. After a few minutes passed she heard something from behind her, when she turned on her heel nothing was there. As soon as she turned back a branch reached out and grabbed her wrist. She screamed as five more reached out to pull her into the shadows. Her jewel flashed brightly as she tried to hit them but she was too scared and her magic was too wild to focus. _

_As soon as she was pulled past the tree line she was in total darkness, she could see nothing. Then it all the sounds came at once, hooves pounding on the ground, a horse's neigh, a blade being unsheathed and the scream of the creatures as that blade was hacked through them. Their grip loosened, and some let go as a hand, an actual hand, grabbed her arm and dragged her back out into the night, the darkness there seemed so much brighter compared to the oblique thicket. She turned to her rescuer to find it was a young boy, a few years older then she, clad in black. She knew this was The Forest Prince she had heard so much about, she had heard of the horrible things he had done. Fear shot through her again, but he had saved her, and they weren't out of danger yet. _

_"Come on milady!" his voice was muffled under his black mask. He helped her quickly on to his steed and he mounted behind her and grabbed the reins. The horse was defiantly a goblin's mount. It had black leathery skin and a deep green eye that blazed with the fire of battle. She had always hated those horses but she would have given the stallion all the sugar cubes in the kingdom for as fast as he ran. The creatures had no chance at catching them as soon as he broke into a gallop. Now, if he rode a goblin horse was he a goblin? But if he was the thief everyone had said he was it would be just as likely he had stolen it for it's speed. He was fairy, goblin or human she knew that much._

_"Shouldn't I be in back of you?" she asked, going this fast terrified her. He bridged the reins with one hand and used the other to wrap around her waist. _

_"This makes it harder for them to take you. Don't worry you won't fall." Something in his voice made her trust him. She took a deep breathe; she was on a horse going who-knows-how-fast with The Forest Prince holding her steady on it; this was not how she pictured today. She closed her eyes and he pulled her a little closer. She felt his chest against her back and for some reason felt safer, and then she felt like slapping herself. She couldn't be…romantically interested in him, yet she felt like she was. _

_With a huge gust of air the horse spread out enormous thin wings and lifted them into the sky. She yelped in surprise. The stallion tilted in the air swooped down to her window sill. The Forest Prince gracefully leapt off and landed on the ledge, Isabella wasn't so sure about it though. They were very high up and one slip could send her to her death. The horse tilted a bit and he leaned over and put one hand on her back and one under her legs and lifted her into the room. He gently laid her down on the bed. _

_She looked up at him, her hair was everywhere from the wind whipping it this way and that and she was completely out of breathe so she could not say anything. He looked down at her with bright green eyes then turned to leave. _

_"Wait!" she stood up and grabbed his hand. "You saved my life." She gasped._

_He shrugged "I was nearby and heard you yell."_

_"That is of no matter. You saved me and it's only fitting that I give my rescuer his just reward." She smiled in a way no man could resist as she took a step closer. _

_His green eyes darted to the window but he didn't move "I don't think that would be wise milady. I should go and that should be our end together."_

_"No," she whispered wrapping her arms around his back and pulling herself even closer to him. "Please, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't. Just one simple kiss is all I ask. Take off your mask for just a moment; no one would need to know."_

_It was too much for a young man to handle. He pulled her into the shadows of the room and took off his mask so she could not see his face. She was a bit put-off by this action but placed a hand on both sides of his face and kissed him none the less. One simple kiss turned out to be about five minutes of very passionate kissing by both of them. They broke apart only when the horse still hovering outside the window snorted with impatience. He quickly reties his mask and she flushed as they stepped back into the light. She had never been that forward with a man, it was improper, yet at that moment she didn't care. He touched the side of her face then walked to the window. _

_"Please…I mean…come see me again some night." She smiled and did her best to hold his gaze "After all," she grinned slyly "you seemed to have no trouble finding my room tonight. Why is that?" _

_He kept his back to her and did not answer but she knew it meant he had been watching her for a time, and to her surprise it didn't bother her in the least as he mounted his horse and flew off into the night._

_And that my friends, was the beginning of the end for the Blazing Star._


	8. The Wizard of Oz

Dear…people…Sorry it was such a long wait but I finally did it! And here it is, the next chapter from the Duchess of the kingdoms of Forgetfulness/procrastination/writers block/laziness/making up strange words/and arguing with inanimate objects…So for all my patient readers I give you my longest chapter yet…

Disclaimer: All right, for all the people who actually believe I own Avalon, Wizard of Oz, or Zorro, your weird and I don't.

"Marlin." Emily whispered in his ear.

He pulled back a fraction of an inch from her lips and grunted in acknowledgement.

She smiled, in-fact, she hadn't been able to stop smiling since they had come out here. She stroked his cheek with one hand. "We'd better go in." she turned nervously to the mansion. "I think the movie is over." She stood up and brushed the dirt and leaves from herself. Marlin stood and did the same. With one last glance at him she turned back to the manor.

It was weird. She had thought she would be blushing like crazy and be so embarrassed she couldn't look at him if something like this happened, yet she felt totally fine. Her feet fell lightly on the path and there was more of a spring in her step then usual. Everything in the world seemed to be right at the moment, evil could wait; she had a boyfriend.

As they walked they saw Kara's posses' silhouettes walking down the driveway on their way home. Emily chose to stay as far out of their way as possible.

They walked through the tree's shadows, caused by the full moons light upon the forest. At the moment it wasn't hard to picture a magical glade in the center of it all.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Emily grasped the brass handle that led to the library and paused. "What wrong?" Marlin asked from behind her.

She paused another moment before responding "You know they're gonna hound us when we get in there."

Marlin chuckled "I thought we agreed we didn't care?"

She didn't look at him and didn't answer; she just opened the door and proceded in past the millions of books to where the others sat. Silence filled the once busy room as the others stopped to look at them. Kee-lyn, Tasha and Adriane beamed at Emily with knowing smiles while Lorren, Zach and Jaaran watched Marlin with sly grins of their own. Kara, however, kept her head down and none of them could tell what she was thinking.

"What?" Emily demanded after a moment and they all shook their heads with a murmur of 'nothing'.

"We had better start rehearsing for this play if we're not going to make complete idiots of ourselves up there." Kara said as she dug through her bag, pulling out nine scripts, "I bought these last week." She handed them out, her face was unreadable as to what she thought about Emily and Marlin's new romance.

"This play is dumb." Adriane groaned as she took the pamphlet.

"It's a classic Adriane." Emily scolded.

"Yeah, but the Scarecrow's drunk, the lion's mentally challenged and the tin man's gay or questioning."

"Exactly," Tasha nodded as if it were obvious "Zach, Marlin and Lorren."

"HEY!" the boys screamed as everyone else cracked up laughing. It was good three minutes or so before they could all breathe well enough to begin their rehearsal.

"Oh Toto!" Emily began "Are you all right?"

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Three weeks later Kara stood before a full length mirror backstage at the school's auditorium. She wore a long pink dress and on the table beside her sat a tall pink and white crown and a sparkly wand. She stared at herself but wasn't really focusing in. She was thinking about Marlin and Emily being together.

It was hard not to think about them together, because every time the boys came over for a play practice Emily and Marlin were always together, looking like the happiest couple in the world. Her lips involuntarily curled into a snarl of disgust. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her friend and she often felt bad about not acting happier for her, but she was jealous.

Lorren had never approached her the way Marlin had Emily; he didn't even show any interest in her, even though she was practically throwing herself at him. She ran her brush through her hair, never taking her eyes off her reflection.

"_Maybe" _she pondered an idea _"he's not right for me. Maybe he's not the one for me and I'm not the one for him."_ It ached to think about it. Luckily she didn't have to for long. The door creaked open.

"Honey?" her mother stuck her head through the gap in the door and the wall. "Oh." She took a breath "Look at you." she beamed and Kara rolled her eyes, but with a smile.

"Mom…" she warned

Her mother embraced her "I'm sorry honey; you break a leg out there OK?"

"I always do mom." She smiled as she watched her mother hustle out the door and back to her seat. She turned and her dress caught on the leg of an old red couch sitting nearby. She gently untangled it.

She took a deep breath and walked out of the room. "Hey baby." came a voice from behind her. She whirled around to face John head on. He was handsome, and he was a member of the football team. He had light brown hair that covered his eyes and always wore the coolest clothes. Today his black tee was covered by a jean jacket with a flipped up color, matching perfectly with his knee torn jeans. Most girls swooned over him, but those with the displeasure to know him knew he was nothing but a chauvinistic pig that didn't deserve to even be talked to let alone dated. He stood up straight so he wasn't leaning on the wall and walked over to her. He stopped barley inches from her and smiled. It wasn't the cute kind of smile a boy gives a girl that he likes; it was a disturbing smile, like an animal admiring a piece of prey before it indulges itself. He slowly walked around her. She glared at him.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing." He said absentmindedly, he wasn't looking her in the face, rather looking her up and down. He stopped and looked in her eyes. "Just admiring you. You look exceptionally lovely tonight." His grin broadened and she didn't like the way he had rolled 'lovely' off his tongue. He still eyed her as if she were a car or something else of value, but not like a human being. "I still say you girls look better in your cheerleading outfits though." She snarled at this comment and stalked past him, putting her crown on as she went.

Backstage everything was crazy, people were running around, setting up equipment fixing props and making last minute costume adjustments. She was the only one with a bright costume at the moment because the beginning of the play called for almost everyone to be in bland, dull clothes as Emily, Lorren, Marlin and Zach now sported. Adriane stood not to far off, sulking in her Auntie Em costume. Beside her stood an unsure looking young man with blonde hair, dressed as Dorothy's uncle. Kara walked over to them.

"Hey Balthazar." She greeted the now human Pegasus. "How are you doing?"

"OK." He nodded unsure. "But when I agreed to help you mages in anyway possible, this is not what I had in mind."

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this." Adriane snarled.

"She can be very persuasive sometimes." Kara turned to Lorren who loomed over her, dressed in raggedy dirt stained clothes. She smiled and opened her mouth to say something when there came a shout.

"5 minutes until curtain!" Everyone raced this way and that and they were separated as she raced off the stage along with a group of quiffles that had been turned into small children, dressed in vibrant clothing to play the role of the munchkins. The curtain drew back, revealing a dusty Kansas landscape background and Emily dressed in full Dorothy attire holding Toto (Ozzie wrapped in black cloth with a pair of dog ears) in her arms. Kara giggled thinking about how much Ozzie had rehearsed his part when all he had to do was bark and run around.

Emily began the play by ranting about their evil neighbor and her stupid cat while backstage was still a flurry of activity. Kara watched as the boys part came and went and as Tasha came on stage looking particularly loathsome as she demanded Dorothy hand over Toto.

After a while Kara got bored of watching the play she had been seeing for the past month and turned to the crowd, trying to find people she knew. She saw her own parents, along with Emily's and even Adriane's sitting in the first row watching intently. Along with them sat Kyle, Adam, Marcus, Joey, Heather, Molly and Tiffany. Scanning the rest of the crowd she saw many other class mates of hers. There was Linda from math, Anne from cheerleading, Andrew from the football team, the class president Lisa, Josh from study hall, Rachel from Spanish and a bunch of others she recognized. She felt her stomach twitter at the thought of all those people, but it excited her, she knew being nervous meant you were ready.

The scene where Dorothy met the gypsy man came and went and a few more minutes past (she wasn't sure how long) and the tornado scene began. Balthazar, Adriane and the boys rushed off stage. Zach, Marlin and Lorren quickly rushed backstage to change into their costumes while Adriane and Balthazar came to stand beside Kara. Tasha appeared at Kara's other side. She looked like her normal green self only with a black witch's hat and long black cape, which she had borrowed from Lorren. In her right hand she held a broom. Jaaran followed closely behind her, dressed as Oz even though his part didn't show up for quite a while.

The curtain closed briefly and everyone available rushed on stage to move the props around and the quiffles and other magic creatures hid amongst the brightly colored scenery. Emily ran to up-center stage and lay down like she was unconscious. Everyone raced back off stage as the curtain drew back once again revealing the set.

It was only a matter of minutes before Kara's part came, followed closely by Tasha's. After Kara's part she returned to her place off stage with Tasha. Her part wasn't large but it was important and she knew it. At least the play wasn't as a disaster like "A Mid-Summer's Night Dream" was. Lorren and Marlin came to stand beside them. Lorren wore a suit of armor that they had ripped apart and altered so it was difficult to tell that was what it originally had been, which was all the better because they wanted no questions as to where to suit came from. It still had the chest plate, leggings, arm protection as well as the boots and gloves but the chain-mail had been ripped off and he wore silver clothes underneath where those areas showed. His neck and face were painted silver as well as the goblin symbol that had been engraved on the front of the armor. He had fought with Kara for a while about having to put on silver eye-shadow and lipstick but in the end she had given him no choice. His hair was dyed silver and a tin funnel was on his head.

Marlin looked equally as stupid with a lion Halloween costume and his face painted brown. He had had the same argument with the girls about the lipstick and eye-shadow but had been cornered on the matter just as Lorren had been.

Zach was up on stage with a flannel checkered shirt and old jeans. Straw stuck out of the bottom of his pants, his shirt sleeves, his collar and the top of his pants. Part of a burlap sack was wrapped around his neck so it looked like his head was made of burlap (his face was painted as well) and a nifty sock-like hat was upon his head.

The others stifled their laughter as Dorothy and the scarecrow met and Zack staggered this way and that, indeed looking like he was drunk. It was not long after that that Lorren's part came and Tasha returned to the stage as well. Kara continued waiting with Marlin until his cue came and he sighed and stood. She couldn't resist. "Go get 'um tiger." She smiled

He glared at her "Shut-up."

She smiled, and then leaned back in her chair; she and Jaaran had a while to go. She watched the lion join them, and continue on their way to Oz. She saw them enter Oz and all the strange happenings there and soon Jaaran departed her to go behind his curtain and yell into a microphone like Oz. He soon rejoined her and together they watched the four (and Ozzie) make their way to the witch's castle where they ran into the witch's monkey minions (Dreamer and Lyra covered in the same black material as Ozzie with a pair of black cardboard wings attached rather haphazardly to their backs). From there they ran into the Wicked Witch of the West (yet again) and the three boys and Toto devised a plan to free Dorothy. The two watched as they dumped a bucket of water on the witch and took her broom back to Oz. Here Jaaran abandoned her again to meet them in person this time. It was only a matter of time after that that her part returned. She showed Dorothy how to click her heels together and send her home. There was a short break as the boys changed back into the ratty clothing for the final scene and the props were back to being dull and bland.

The final scene was quick and the applause after words was loud and booming. She rushed out on stage in-between Tasha and Adriane and took a bow as her name was called.

The curtain closed and they all exploded with joy.

"That was great!"

"Thank goodness that's over."

"Aw come on, it was fun."

"I think we did pretty good."

"Yeah, and Tasha only tripped once!"

"That's only because your cape is too damn long!"

They stopped as their parent's and friends walked behind the curtain to compliment them as well.

"You were all great." Carolyn Fletcher beamed.

"When we did Sleeping Beauty we didn't get that much applause." Heather nodded to Kara. She smiled back. "Thanks guys, I'm gonna go change OK?" They nodded her off and continued to talk amongst themselves.

She walked back to the dressing room alone and shut the door. She turned to check herself in the mirror when a voice stopped her for the second time that day.

"Hey babe." She whipped around to see John standing with his back against the door. Indicating there was no way out.

She pulled her self together "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer, just strutted over to her and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her in close. She gasped. "Get away from me!" she snapped and struggled to break his grasp, but to no avail. Panic rose in her as he put his lips to hers and stopped her from yelling anymore. He shoved her down on the old red couch and pressed himself down on top of her. It never occurred to her to use her jewel; she was in too much shock and panic to do much more the struggle. She kept her mouth closed like a trap even though he persistently traced her lips with his tongue. She whimpered and tried to dig her nails into his sides but his jean jacket protected him. She suddenly felt like her dress was much thinner then it was before, like there wasn't that much in-between them. His hand idled down her side and was at her hip when he was thrust upward with such force it even hurt her when his hands and lips were pulled from her form.

She gasped and turned to John to see what had happened. He lay on the floor in a heap and beside him stood Lorren. Lorren looked madder then she had ever seen him, madder then she had ever seen anyone. John leapt to his feet and the two boys snarled at each other with vivid hate. For a moment they stood shoulder to shoulder like two dogs with their hackles raised then pandemonium broke out.

The first punch was thrown by John, but Lorren dodged it and caught him in the jaw with his left fist. There was a sickening crunch and John staggered backwards. When he opened his mouth his teeth were blood stained. Lorren hit him twice as hard in the stomach and then tried to get him again but John pulled himself together just in time to whack Lorren across the face with his closed fist. Kara sat on the couch, shaking and nonplussed by what was happening. Neither would kowtow to the others authority. The boys fight got faster and the punches got harder and wilder until she could no longer tell who was winning, or even what was going on, until John froze; Lorren had him by the back of the neck. He was finished.

Lorren pinned him against the wall. "Don't you ever…touch…her…again." He growled, sounding more like an animal then a person. Both their sides were heaving and they were panting and sweating heavily. Blood trickled down both their faces. John nodded and whimpered feebly. Lorren pressed harder on his neck until his eyes bulged and he gasped for air. He abruptly let go and John fell in a crumpled heap to the floor, bruised and bloody. He picked himself up and walked as fast as he could to the door, it was obvious something was wrong with his right leg because he avoided putting too much weight on it.

Once he left the room Lorren turned to Kara, his expression turned from rage to concern in a second. She looked back up at him; tears ran down her cheeks even though she didn't make a sound. He stared back at her; he didn't know what to say.

"Are you OK?" he whispered sitting down next to her.

She looked away. She didn't know how to answer. Looking back at him she saw the worry in his eyes and she grabbed his dusty brown shirt and pulled herself into him. She cried on his shoulder as he gently laid a hand on her back, assuming she wouldn't enjoy too much contact from him after that.

"It's OK Kara." She heard him whisper. "I won't let him get near you ever again." After a while she had no more tears to cry and simply rested against him. After a moment she pulled back and looked at him. She could see a part of his face slowly turning purple with a bruise. Everything she had ever felt for him flowed into her now, he had just saved her. It hit her hard and she knew she wanted nothing more then to be with him right now. There was no guy in all the realms better then Lorren.

"Lorren." She smiled even though her cheeks were still wet with tears and leaned up a bit so her mouth was level with his and leaned in so their lips met. Her lips just barley brushed his when the door opened.

"Hey Kara what's taking…" Molly trailed off in the middle of her sentence and her jaw dropped. Kara whipped back from Lorren and jumped off the couch. She didn't even look at Lorren, afraid of what his reaction would be. She just walked past Molly out the door. Molly followed with a smirk on her face. She opened her mouth to say something but Kara cut her off.

"I don't want to talk about it." Molly looked taken aback but obliged just the same.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night it was a celebration at the manor. They had worked for a month and it was finally over with.

"To a great performance and to the hope that Kara never makes us do anything like this ever again!" Ozzie raised his cup of root beer to a toast. Everyone laughed as Kara scowled and knocked their cups against Ozzie's.

Everyone laughed and talked for a while, and somehow throughout it all Kara and Lorren managed to act as if nothing had happened. Kara also never met the looks shot at her by Lorren. In fact she didn't look at him at all.

At midnight Kee-lyn and Jaaran stood up.

"Where are you guys going?" Adriane asked.

"Our parents wouldn't let us stay the night." Kee-lyn smiled sadly "We have to go."

Everyone bid there fair wells to the two and Emily stood as well. "We had better go to bed to."

Adriane stretched "Yeah, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat." They nodded and followed Adriane up the stairs to their rooms.

Out of the corner of her eye Kara saw something. It looked like a bright light coming from under the book shelf. She turned, but it was gone. She narrowed her eyes.

"_Is everything all right Kara?"_

Kara looked down at Lyra. "Yeah" she looked back at the shelf then shook her head and started after the others. "I'm fine."

_Isabella waited for three nights for him to finally return and when he did their secret romance began. She told no one of her new friend, not even the other mages and I. The only one who ever knew were Mizaria, and Isabella's enchanted toiletries, the brush, the comb, the powder puff, the perfume bottle, the mirror. They were her closest companions and said they trusted her judgment about the young man, but they themselves were skeptical. _

_The boy in black returned whenever he could and many a day Isabella would beg him to remove his mask in the light. Every time his answer was the same "I would do anything for you milady but for my own reasons I cannot, and you would not like what lies behind my title." Still she insisted she would love him no matter what but he refused. Some days she would refuse to speak to him because of it, and although it burned his heart to see her so upset he assured he she would be more so if he took off his mask. _

_He never gave any hint as to his true being. There was one occasion when a rather surprising topic was brought up but Isabella never thought of it again afterwards. _

_"What do you think of the other races?" he asked her one day._

_She turned to him from brushing her hair. "What?"_

_"What do you think about the other races?"_

_She raised an eyebrow but turned back to the mirror, "I get along just fine with humans, merpeople, and elves. I have many friends that are such."_

_"What about dwarves and trolls?" he pressed on._

_"They are all right I expect. They are not my friends nor are they my enemies."_

_He paused for a few moments before continuing "What about goblins." Isabella stopped brushing and examined herself in the mirror for a moment._

_"Why?"_

_"I wish to know."_

_"I think what any decent fairy does, they are scum and below us. They are monsters unworthy of my attention." She recited from what she could remember from her teachings._

_He was quiet for a very long time. "So you would never be friends with one…or be romantically interested in one? Say the prince, some speculate that you two will be together since you are around the same age." _

_"Of coarse not, it would not be proper."_

_This time he was silent for so long she turned around "Are you all right."_

_"Yes."_

_She knew him well enough to know that he was not._

_"Is that what you truly believe?"_

_This time she paused "Yes." _

_"You don't seem so certain." She looked back at him, wondering if he could be trusted. Well of coarse he could not but she was out on a limb as it was._

_"No." she said quietly. "I don't even know any goblins; it just comes with the territory of being fairy princess to let everyone believe I think such things. But no one can ever know I said that." She snapped, her voice changing drastically. "The goblin prince is a nice boy and I assume if he knew I felt this way he would ask for my friendship and that would only complicate matters, and so he nor any fairy or goblin may know. Understand?" _

_He did nothing but chuckle "Ah, milady, irony is indeed amusing." And with that he turned and left, leaving her to ponder his newest mystery._

_Two full moons had come and gone since they had met when Isabella received an invitation to the Luna ball. It was held every time a lunar eclipse covered the sky. Many a noblemen's son asked to be her escort but she declined and asked The Forest Prince if he would attend, in normal attire. He confirmed that he would be there but would not tell her who he was. _

_Isabella was an intelligent girl however and devised a plan. She instructed him to meet her in a small part of the forest near where the event was being held. The plan was to meet just before the eclipse. Upon his agreement she studied every inch of him she could see. Trying to remember everything, then she could see who left the main area at that time and figure out who he was by their features. She also tried to remember his voice as best she could. _

_The day of the ball finally arrived and Isabella shocked all by arriving unescorted. She wore a long golden dress made of silk with her hair tied back and curled, and with golden bracelets and earrings. Even though all young women felt diminished by her presence and all young men could not tare their eyes off of her Isabella felt as timid as a mouse. She knew her prince was watching her right now, but she did not know who he was. _

_She danced with quite a few young men, all very handsome and charming. A few could have possibly fit The Prince's description but she knew in her heart that none of these were him. She looked to the enormous clock mounted suspended in the air. It was almost time for her to go. She began to depart when Victoria, Elizabeth and I caught her in the act. We pushed a prodded until we left her no choice but to confess her destination. Are reactions differed. _

_Mine was of course to question her sanity, Elizabeth's was to congratulate her and Victoria's was to strangle the boy. Isabella hurriedly assured us she was fine and left to meet her lover. She glanced once over her shoulder to see if anyone else was leaving but saw no one. She continued to move forward even though her eyes were averted back and soon collided with someone. _

_She began to apologize but changed her mind after she saw who it was. "Watch where you're going."_

_"I'm sorry milady; I wasn't watching where I was going." It was the Goblin Prince Darrian. He had green skin and night black hair with green streaks through it. He was rather tall and skinny, but not sickly so. He was about her age and would become king a year or two before she would be queen. She hated him; he had never done anything in particular to her. She had just always been taught to hate goblins, as noted before, but it would have been a lot easier to hate him if he was actually rude to her. He was always so nice and it went against everything she knew to be mean to someone who was nothing but nice to her. _

_"May I inquire as to where you are going?" he asked kindly walking beside her. _

_"No you may not." She stated simply. _

_Her response did not faze him. "Fair enough."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"An eye for an eye milady, you may not inquire as to my destination either." He smiled._

_She rolled her own and quickened her pace but he did not falter. After a moment he spoke again. "This is where I must bid you fair well." And with a sweeping bow he departed from her down a separate hall. _

_"Weirdo." She muttered under her breath. She watched him go "But a nice weirdo." She added after a moment._

_It took her a few minutes to reach the glade and a few more for her masked man to arrive. She beamed at him but he looked troubled. Her smile faded. _

_"What is wrong?" He looked back up at her and she could have sworn she saw anger in his eyes for a moment. _

_She shied away from him in confusion and hurt. His eyes softened once more. "Nothing Princess, nothing at all." She smiled and stroked the back of his neck through the cloth lovingly. _

_"So…did I see you at the ball?" She asked, her eyes now turned skyward as pieces of the moon slowly slipped away. It was obvious her plan had failed, he was too cunning for her, she should have known. _

_"Yes." His voice gave away nothing._

_"Did I speak with you?" she ventured_

_"Yes." _

_"Did I dance with you?"_

_"No."_

_She cocked her head and rested against him as she tried to recall every boy she had spoken with but hadn't danced. Never for a second did her mind rest on Darrian. Both were contented to just sit in silence and watch the eclipse together. It was near its end that things went terribly, terribly wrong. _

_The Forest Prince collapsed to the ground and she was knocked off balance after him. Before she had even impacted he was back on his feet with his sword drawn glaring at this new enemy even though was a new lump on the back of his head. _

_Isabella rolled over just in time to see her own brother Casmer step from the bushes. He glared at the other boy with fire in his eyes. _

_She stood up "Casmer." She gasped. "What…what are you doing here?"_

_"I should be asking you." she snapped. "What are you doing with him? I knew you were seeing some guy behind our backs, you were acting strange. I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be him though!" he took a step closer and The Forest Prince stepped in front of her protectively. _

_That gesture sent Casmer over the edge; he lunged at the boy with his sword held out. Their blades met and the fight began. Isabella screamed for them to stop but both were deaf to her words. Only The Forest Prince listened to her cries of "don't hurt him!" and refrained from doing any sever damage. _

_"What the hell are you doing with my sister?" Casmer snarled._

_"That is none of your business my good man." He taunted back. Unfortunately Casmer had the upper hand since he wasn't holding back and knocked him to the ground. _

_With one swift flick of his wrist he sliced the other boy's mask in half and it slid off his face. Both Isabella and Casmer were left speechless by the boy underneath. It was Darrian. He looked up at Casmer with a horrified expression as the other lifted his sword for a final blow. Darrian's sword was too far off to grab, he was defenseless. _

_"I thank-you dear sister," Casmer addressed Isabella with his sword held in the air "for giving me the opportunity to relive the world of the goblin prince, the man who has shamed my sister and a thief all with one swing. I beg of you Isabella, do not watch." _

_Darrian's eyes darted to Isabella who, despite her brother's warning never took her eyes off of him. Tears streamed down her perfect face and her expression nearly ripped his heart in two. He closed his eyes as he saw a flash of metal and bit his lip as he felt something impact with his chest, however he realized it was not a blade. He opened his eyes to find Isabella sprawled across him, facing her brother. Casmer glared at her. _

_"Move."_

_She shook her head but was unable to speak. _

_"Bella, he is a goblin, a good for nothing goblin. You know of the horrible things they do and of the even worse things The Forest Prince does."_

_She shook her head again "Your wrong" she managed after a moment "Darrian's not like that." Casmer reached down and grabbed her wrist, forcing her up off of him. Darrian made to stop him but was whacked him across the face with the flat side of the blade. He threw Isabella aside and raised his sword once again but there was a loud 'thunk' and he collapsed. Behind him stood Isabella with Darrian's sword upside down in her hand looking petrified at what she had just done. _

_Darrian leapt to his feet and for an awkward moment they just stared at each other. "I…I'm sorry Isabella." She stared at him for a moment, and he feared she would turn the blade around and go after him but she dropped the sword and embraced Darrian in a fierce kiss. He stiffened then relaxed and kissed her back. He pulled back after he felt her warm tears upon his skin. _

_He gently calmed her "It's all right." He murmured to her. She shook her head and looked back to her brother lying unconscious on the ground. Darrian moved to check his wrists for a heart beat. "He's alive. If we get him back right now we can say he was hit by a falling tree branch or something like that." Isabella nodded. _

_"I'm sorry."_

_"For what?" he looked up at her._

_"For all of this."_

_He snorted a laugh "It's my own damn fault for ever coming back to you."_

_She smiled through her tears "I'm glad you did." Together they lifted Casmer's body off the ground and made their way slowly back to the festivities. Once nearby they set him down and Darrian began to walk away. _

_"I have to go change back into my regular attire; no doubt I would be in a world of trouble if anyone saw he dressed like this." He smiled and was gone. Isabella gave him a minute or two before screaming into the night in a very realistically shocked voice "CASMER!"_

Hope you all liked it. The "Wizard of Oz" part did run on for quite a bit but I wasn't sure how to write it. Again sorry for the long wait, the next chapter is already half way done so it will be up much quicker.

NOTE: I am planning on writing another Avalon fic. Please vote for your favorite (don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter as well!)

"The Forest Prince"-A story on Lorren before he met the mages, starting when he became the Forest Prince and leading up to "All's Fairy in Love and War". (Rated T, Drama/Romance/General)

"Love at First Sight"-The girls fall victim to a particularly strong love potion… and end up falling for the wrong guys. (Rated T or K, Humor/Romance)

"7 Days"-The girls (or guys, it's undecided) switch bodies accidentally with the use of a spell and have to stay as each other for 7 days. (Rated T or K, Humor/General/Romance)

"The Mages of Rayzica"-The kids discover another group of mages, just like them only with slight differences. These kids may be the key to defeating the dark sorceress, or maybe our mages are the key to defeating their enemy…(Rated T, General/Adventure)

P.S. This story will be 19 chapters long for all who were wondering…

P.S.S. Thank-you to Fred-Weasley-is-Mine for saying my story was good; go look at her fic, it's like the best Avalon fic ever. Also yay for your good surgery!

P.S.S.S. What does P.S. stand for?

P.S.S.S.S. …hi…

P.S.S.S.S.S. This is fun…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S. I'm probably annoying you all by now…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. I should probably be doing something else by now so I'll stop…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. Ha-ha you all thought I was gonna stop…you sillies…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. How many S's are we at now…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. Try saying that five times fast…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. Try saying five times fasts, five times fast…

Kimi: Snowy

Snowy: Yes?

Kimi: Stop it

Snowy: Sorry…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. Kimi is my dog…

P.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. There's nothing weird about talking to your dog…

Kimi: SNOWY!

Snowy: OK I'M DONE!


	9. The Dream

OMG WTF NO WAY SNOWLIA WROTE ANOTEHR CHAPTER!!!!!! GASP!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha-ha, bet yall thought I died…but I didn't muahahahahaha! As if you'd be so lucky…So sorry this took so long I've been distracted by video games, Harry Potter, marauders, unicorns, boys, holidays, friends, My Chemical Romance, TWILIGHT, **Jasper**, music, myspace, horses, animate objects, inanimate objects, shiny things, other general things that interest me, other things that didn't interest me…All right I'm getting a bit bored with this story and I'm ashamed to say it's mine at times but I shall push on for you peoples sake.

Emerald Ice-Thank you for being the only one to vote! I will defiantly keep those names in mind as well! Cookie to you!

Nic-Thank-you! Yeah I know I have some grammar-related issues. Hopefully this chapter will be better.

Warning: The following chapter is rated F for fluff…deal with it…

Kara stood in a dripping wet cave. Rainbows of color ricochet off the walls as beams of light hit the hundreds of glistening diamonds covering the ceiling. She was in complete awe of this place, yet she felt like she had been here before.

Screams met her ears. She ran towards the source of the chaos, she was slowed down by the water lapping at her feet. She came to a stop in a room-like part of the cave. At one end, blocking the only way out stood tall, thin woman with silvery blonde hair and inhuman pointed teeth showing in a wicked smirk. Beside her hovered a young girl with green skin, pointed ears and short black hair, looking like she was in a trance. At the other end stood three girls, three boys, a wolf, a leopard, a multi-colored unicorn and a ferret.

Kara had known she was dreaming but it took her breath away just the same to see their latest battle with The Dark Sorceress all over again. A wave of water crashed through the opening and formed a hideous creature; it was Marina as a hydra.

"Crimawager!"

"What is that?"

She heard two voices that brought her back to the scene in front of her. She watched the familiar battle in a way she hadn't been able to before. She saw herself glaring at the dark sorceress in a look of rage and hate. Adriane and Zach watched her with the same expression, bent on making her pay for the damage she had done to the mistwolves. Emily looked horrified at what had become of the water fairimental. Marlin was leaning up against the wall, he was helpless. The color was half gone from his face and he looked weak from the water sickness. Lorren stood near the back, never taking his eyes off Tasha, and Kara saw something she had never before seen in him, fear.

As the battle began she saw Lorren step back in the shadows and creep along the wall towards Tasha. The cave was so bright it was amazing that he could stay hidden, but that had always been one of Lorren's, or rather The Forest Prince's, strong points. She took a few steps forward, following him up behind the dark sorceress. Her hands were held above her head and she moved her fingers as if playing the piano as she controlled Marina, she had forgotten all about Tasha. All Lorren had to do was grab her hand and pull her out of the Sorceress's control. She went limp instantly and he caught her in his arms.

Once they were out of the witch's ear shot and out of the line of fire and laid her down.

"Tasha!" he whispered.

"What?" She sounded groggy "What happened?" Then, as if she had been hit in the stomach, she bent over double and winced, tears running down her face.

"The Dark Sorceress had you under her power, are you OK?" He pulled her closer to him.

"Yeah," she rested up against him. "I just need to rest a minute." Her breathing was heavy. Lorren wrapped his arms around her again.

"You scared me so bad." He smiled weakly.

She laughed, "That's my job."

Lorren smiled back down at her. His hands were shaking and his smile was plastered on his face as if he was fighting to keep it there. He pulled her in closer to him, as if confirming she was really there. "I'm fine Lorren, really I am." Even Kara who was the third person didn't know how it happened but one moment they were hugging and the next their lips were pressed together. Her eyebrows shot up and her sapphire eyes were wide in shock. With twitching fingers and shaking legs she watched in horror as her friend received the kiss she had been dreaming of for so long. It was only a simple kiss that lasted no more then a few seconds but to Kara they might have well as been making out for the last hour. Never did she see their reactions when they broke apart because just as they did she felt a gentle wave against her leg.

Turning she saw a system of ripples in the water reacting from movement coming from a nearby cavern. Without hesitation she chased after the disturbances source. The water at her ankles kept her from moving very fluently but it still wasn't long before she caught up. The cave swooped down into a shadowy crevice from which something was moving. Now that her initial rush was over, fear began to kick in. She hadn't thought about what exactly she was following and now it was apparent it was at least three times her size. Through the blonde locks falling in her face she watched the nightmarish beast move gracefully from one side of the dark to the other. He glided on four thin yet sturdy legs that held up his enormous frame and a long neck that craned before him. Muscles rippled beneath his hide which was the color of nightmares. He turned his wide face towards her, eyes on each side of his head; they were the only color on his body. Green glimmered in the crystal light as he studied her beneath a funeral veil the served as a mane.

Pearly tears dropped from her eyes to the water and the sound echoed across the walls. The equine beast perked its finally pointed ears in her direction. They both stood and she didn't know what to do. Assuming a fighting pose she attempted to hide her tears and tried to look tough. "Who are you? What do you want?" Her legs were still shaking as she tried to keep herself together even though she was falling apart at her seems. Timidly the horse lowered his head and stepped forward. Kara was held where she was by some unknown force. She lowered her hands as the beast approached her and slowly raised his head. For a long moment they stood staring at each other. Something below those green eyes was gentle and misunderstood. After a forever had passed she collapsed and caught herself around his neck and cried. He rested his head on her neck and nickered softly.

"Let him go." A deep and rough voice whispered in her ear.

She nodded.

"No!" A shrill voice cried out causing them both to jump. A bony hand grabbed a hold of Kara's arm and she screamed as she was pulled away. Her new friend reared on his powerful back legs and kicked towards the ceiling, his eyes simmering. Kara turned towards her captor. It was a young woman maybe in her twenties. Her pink dress was torn and frayed and hung loosely on her frail figure. Blood and dirt were smeared across her dress and face. Ragged cuts ran along her arms and her blue eyes were puffy and blood shot. She had dingy blonde hair that was tangled and flat to her pale white skin. Her eyes were wide with fear and she whispered hoarsely "_Never _let go."

With a scream of anger the horse reared again and came crashing down in between them sending the woman back a few steps. He blocked her from view. "Run!" His maw stretched wide as he screeched the demand with fire blazing from his eyes.

"No!" She heard the woman call again and she tried to say something else but a bellowing roar from the horse drowned out her frail voice. Kara turned from the horrendous scene and tried to run but the world was falling apart around her like a mirror being shattered. She screamed as behind her the horse and woman fell away into darkness like paintings being dropped. Turning this way and that she couldn't escape as water, crystal and everything else fell away before her.

"Kara!" a familiar voice called out to her as the shattering scene began to go blurry and she sharply arose to the real world. It took a moment for everything to come into focus and for her mind to process that she had been dreaming. The black outlines of everything in The Ravenswood library became slowly visible; she must have passed out on the couch and never made it to bed.

"Kara?" she jumped as she realized that she wasn't alone. Her eyes adjusted to fit in the shape of another person in the room beside her. It didn't take long for her weary brain to awaken at the sight of the person beside her.

"Lorren…" She breathed in surprise

"Yeah. You weren't in your room and so I came down to find you and you were shaking. It scared me; you must have been having a nightmare." She could hear the concerned tone of his voice; he sounded a bit shaken up himself.

She nodded vagley aware of his words. The images still flooded through her mind. "Wait," she shook her head a bit "why were you in my room?"

He didn't respond and it was too dark to see his reaction but she felt him tense beside her in uncertainty. Kara however was not about to be drawn off the subject despite the awkwardness of the topic. She made an inquiring hum and cocked her head as she watched his silhouette.

"I…I wanted to talk to you." He stammered after a moment.

Was it possible to be in such a drafty room yet be burning up at the same time?

"About last night?" she ventured.

A small nervous laugh escaped his lips, calming him in the fact she was nervous as well. "Yeah, about last night..." Another pause ensued as neither wanted to be the first to recall out loud what had happened. A few nervous swallows and a few thousand anxious heartbeats later Kara broke their silence.

"Thanks." She smiled timidly.

"What?" he sounded taken aback.

"For last night, you know, with John…" she trailed off, she then realized that hadn't been what he had wanted to talk about.

"Yeah, are you OK?"

"I'm fine." She assured quickly. "Are you?" she tentatively reached up and gently stroked his face were the bruise had been. She could still feel the uneven skin where John's fist had made contact. He didn't succeed in repressing the slight shiver that went through his at her light touch.

"Yeah." He breathed as she leaned herself up against him, resting her head against his neck. Lorren hesitantly wrapped his arms around her fragile body and pulled her closer. For a moment her mind flickered back to the dream and the kind nightmare-horse. He had told her to let him go. The frail woman had told her never to. At first the horse's words had made more sense but now she knew that she could never let go of Lorren. Before she could change her mind she reached up and pressed her lips to his. In the back of her mind she thought she heard a ringing noise, like a scream of agony, but it was so faint, she pushed it to the back of her thoughts and wrapped herself in Lorren. Without missing a beat he kissed her back. They kissed for only a few seconds but it was well enough to get the message across to one another.

She broke away first, her face burning from his touch. Kara had kissed boys before, but none like Lorren. Never had she been the swooning type, she had always held her ground. Yet here she was, reduced to jell-o in his arms. A nervous giggle escaped her lips and she blushed even harder. Lorren laughed as he felt her face heat up, relieved that he wasn't the only one anxious about the situation. Hesitantly but with a bit more confidence then before, he leaned in and met her lips again. This time she kissed back, it was nothing like the innocent kiss it had been last time, and ravished in it. She ran one hand through his night black hair and kept her other wrapped around his back, tightly holding herself to him as he leaned into her. His lips left hers and she huffed indignantly at having her pleasure taken away but she felt him smile against her cheek as Lorren brushed his lips along her jaw line.

Her sapphire eyes were wide with shock, again she had kissed boys before but this was going beyond that. A moment of panic over took her and she almost pushed him off of her in her confusion but his teeth found a piece of skin on her neck and teased it slightly and she forgot any reason to tell him to stop. Lorren's lips continued to trail up and down her neck and across her face earning a small moan of pleasure, he laughed again. She pressed herself against his body, for the first time really appreciating it. His chest was strong and hard from fighting and she could feel the muscles on his arms against her back. Shuddering with the sudden heat between them she gave a shaky intake of breath before forcing him to meet her lips again. Gently she parted her lips against his and he eagerly followed. For the moment she forgot all about the fact she was wearing only an old tank top and shorts and her hair was knotted and loose from sleep and that she wore no make-up. Surly had she been in the right mind she wouldn't have let Lorren anywhere near her, but of coarse Lorren couldn't care less. He loved her for her.

The position their kiss put them in was difficult on both parties, her stature of 5'3 and his of 6'2 forced her to stretch to meet him and him to bend down rather awkwardly. Once again Lorren broke away, then with both palms forced Kara down on her back and leaned over her provocatively. He lavished in the surprise that flashed across her face as he held himself on all fours above her. A small smile crossed her lips and she raised an eyebrow suggestively and inquisitively at her, asking what he was going to do next. Dropping down to lay beside her he captured her in another kiss, pulling her into his body. They fit together perfectly, pressed against one another in the dark. His hands were running through her hair and all along her neck, back and legs; her hands tousling his hair with equal vigor and tracing the lines of his chest and back.

"Kara," he whispered against her ear, making her shiver.

"Lorren…"

"I love you." His words raced through her, she doubted her heart could take much more of this. She could all ready feel her blood pulsing with unnatural strength. He loved her. He _loved _her. _He _loved _her. _The statement reverberated inside her brain, repeating itself over and over.

"I love you too." She pressed her cheek to his collarbone, wrapping her thin arms around his back. She marveled at his words, at him, her Lorren. With him she felt so…safe. He was so much bigger then her, so battle sturdy, how could she feel anything but safe when cuddled up beside him. Pulling back she met his gaze and smiled. In the faint light she saw his pale green eyes sparkle…her eyes flew open wide. Those eyes, she had seen them before…the horse. Its eyes had been the exact same shade.

"Kara?" his voice was creased with worry, "Kara, are you all right." She didn't even hear him. What could that mean? Why did that horse have Lorren's eyes? What did the two in the cave want with them? The dream flooded back to her.

"Did you ever kiss Tasha?"

"What?" the statement had taken him aback.

"Did you ever kiss Tasha?" she would have thought this would be an angry conversation with him, angry on her part. With him trying to defend himself, but she had to know, was the dream true?

"Well…I…I mean, me and Tasha…we've been friends for like ever…" he was struggling, trying to come up with an excuse or an alibi, but she didn't have time.

"Did you kiss Tasha in the cave with the last battle with the Dark Sorceress?" His fear at her anger left his face immediately and was replaced with confusion.

"How did you know…?" He was cut off as Kara slid off the sofa and sank her knees on the floor. She gripped her jewel with white knuckles. Something was coming…something was trying to use her power…something was trying to reach something…using her as a connection to it. Her body shook involuntarily with the power attempting to coarse through her. Vaguely she could hear Lorren's anxious voice but it sounded like he was calling out from across a football field to her and she felt as though leaves were resting on her shoulders rather then his strong hands. The library spun out of view and was replaced by darkness. A horrible wailing pounded in her ears. It was like a horse's screech only much deeper in pitch. It continued for a while though she couldn't say how long until finally it slowed and she heard voices. They were as clear as if the speakers were standing just in front of her in the room, only she had closed her eyes so she couldn't see them.

"Alden?" a female voice cried out in despair "Alden? Oh Alden my love, I would recognize your cry amongst a hundred fold of men!"

"Ah Elizabeth, I knew you would hear." A deep and raspy male voice answered her.

"Yes, yes of course I heard!" The woman sounded on the verge of tears.

"My dear, dear Elizabeth, don't cry. We will be together again soon enough. Girl!" the word was practically roared. Kara knew it was aimed at herself it was like he had been facing sideways and then turned towards her. "Get the book!"

Elizabeth gasped "The book! Of course!"

"I…I don't believe I have the energy to finish it…" he trailed off sounding weaker.

"You shouldn't have started it in the first place." A deep and tortured voice cut through the other two sounding very weary and distraught. She recognized the voice; it was the horse from her dream.

"What's wrong? Don't want others reading your sins?" a humorless growl snarled across the other voices with such hostility it made her cringe. There was no response from any of them except a new female voice, higher then the other.

"GET THE BOOK KARA!" she screamed. Three snarls erupted from Alden, the horse and the third male and Elizabeth gave a cry of misery before they all faded away. She opened her eyes to find herself back on the couch with Lorren and Lyra leaning anxiously over her. Behind him stood the rest of their group all waiting with a nervous air and staring at her with fear. Someone spoke to her but she wasn't paying attention. She stared past them at the overturned bookshelf. She knew which book they meant…


	10. The Book

**A/N-**_I apologize once again for the long wait, honestly I did this entire chapter last night; please review if you enjoyed. So without any further ado, chapter 10, _"The Book"

**Disclaimer-** I do not own Avalon or any thing having to do with Avalon…duh…

"Life up the shelf!" she demanded to her bewildered friends.

"Kara…" Lorren began but she cut him off.

"Lift up the shelf!"

Exchanging a frightened glance the boys rushed forward and with great difficulty finally heaved the bookcase up about a foot off the ground, dust and books fell to the ground. Working quickly Kara reached under and without even looking, grasped the leather bound book. Hands shaking she brought it back to the others and they moved silently out of her way, Lorren following close behind her, but her eyes were only for the book with it's rough cover and "Merankawo" embroidered on the cover.

Emily gasped "The book; I'd completely forgotten about it."

"I think it's been calling out to me…" Kara ran her hand over the spine, feeling where it was hand stitched together. Never before had she really stopped to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into books. She held it delicately and tenderly, like it was a child.

She felt Lorren's rough hands grasp her arms gently. "Kara, are you all right?" his breath tickled her ear, only loud enough for her to here. His warm breath brought her back to the library and out of the strange dream world this book sent her into. She tilted her head to see his eyes so full of concern. Suddenly feeling very tired she looked away from those hypnotic pail green irises of his and back to the book, which felt very much alive in her palms.

Taking a deep breath she nodded but couldn't seem to find a reassuring word on her tongue. Instead she opened the old book, hesitantly as if she expected something to leap from its pages, but all she saw was the beginning statement, just as it had when the girls had first ventured beyond its cover.

"What is this?" she looked up, slightly alarmed at how close Marlin's voice was, to see all of her friends had crowded around.

"We found this book a while ago, we had all forgotten about it." Adriane breathed; somehow opening the book this time seemed so much more extraordinary then before.

"Why did you never show us this before?" Zach stared in awe at the three sentences emblazed in ink on the page.

None of the girls found the voice to answer. Kara thought about what the next page held and then to Lorren pressed up against her so protectively. Now she wanted to protect him, how could she show him, the boy she loved more then anyone else, what awaited with the next turn of the page. Her mind screamed for her to slam the book shut and be rid of it but her fingers moved to the ancient material and turned the page. The boys leaned in close and read the passage. The room was eerily silent as if every book in the old library was holding its breath. No one spoke when they were done. No one looked at one another either. Kara simply turned the page again. The girls couldn't quite explain why they weren't surprised when the once blank page was now filled with elegant writing but none of them had any doubts that it would. They read on and on.

Through Mereankawo's change from elf to rabbit,

Through the original mage's first meeting,

Through their meeting with the 5th mage,

Through the Blazing Star's first encounter with the Forest Prince,

And indeed through their very own story, written with pen and ink with a few alterations.

"It's…it's us…"Adriane stammered unable to comprehend how these people, living almost a thousand years before them could possible share their almost exact same adventures, their ups and downs, loves and losses, everyone was at a complete loss of words.

"Written by…Ozzie." All eyes were for the small ferret staring in awe at the book.

"Why isn't Elizabeth's meeting with the mer prince documented?"

"He was tired." Now all gazes were for Kara.

"Who was?" Lorren gently prodded.

"I don't know…"

"How could this be?" Zach looked over the words again and again.

"And what did he mean 'this was the beginning of the end for the Blazing Star'?" Lorren stared at the passage.

"I don't know." Kara wasn't sure if she had ever made a sound at all of if she had only mouthed the fraise.

That night Kara lay under her pink comforter, staring at the white canopy that hung above her. Never in her life has she felt like this, so afraid but being unable to specify what exactly she was afraid of. She had heard this was what having a panic attack was like, but she was pretty sure that there would be some sort of shaking or, well, panicking involved. She just lay motionless and staring. Lyra lay in a pile of stuffed animals nearby, she knew she wasn't sleeping either. It was doubtful any of the group was relieved by slumber at the moment.

Her mind was transfixed on the book. How was it possible? How could they have had the exact same story that her and her friends were living right now? Was that how they were destined to end as well, with the ending of that poem, a tragic and violently turning against one another? It is a terrible thing to have your future predicted, or in fact laid out before you on paper, written in ink. Those perfectly sculpted letters were emblazed in her mind, perhaps even stronger then they were in the actual book. No matter how many times she twisted and turned she couldn't stop thinking of some God-like figure scripting her life, her fate, on paper for their own amusement. Squeezing her eyes tight she shook her head, refusing to let the tears fall. She was no play toy, she chose her own destiny.

Turning on her side she let her mind wander to other things, or rather one other thing, Lorren. She couldn't help the grin the crossed her face as she pulled the covers tighter. Sure she was a bit embarrassed about what had occurred, what happens late at night in the dark, certainly differs from what occurs in broad daylight in a clearer state of mind, but it didn't mean she didn't want to do it again. She still felt his lips or hers and his strong chest against her body. Giggling to herself she couldn't help but feel rather like she was swooning over him. It was an embarrassing thought but one she just couldn't stop. She knew very well she had become a Lorren fan girl. Laughing out loud at the thought she snuggled deeper into the covers, keeping all thought of the book at bay with her Lorren shield.

Lorren too couldn't keep his mind from the book. He paced the wooden floor of his room, looking for an answer, though an answer to what he wasn't completely sure. There were too many questions but there seemed to be only one answer that simply eluded him, taunted him, and laughed at his ignorance. Snarling under his breath and quickened his pace a bit. He hadn't even changed into his night clothes; in fact he still wore jeans and tee shirt from the morning on earth.

Everything had been going so well, it had been his wildest dream come true, together with Kara, holding her, whispering to her, kissing her…he paused subconsciously as he thought of her. She was the most beautiful girl alive, and for a few moments she had been his. He shuddered and continued pacing as he thought of the sudden look of horror and repulsion in her eyes when they pulled away, and then she became hysterical before finally collapsing to the floor. It had been horrifying. He still wasn't sure what had occurred.

He was worried for her. He was always worried for her, she always seemed so frail, but tonight more then ever. There was nothing he could do, he felt absolutely helpless. His princess was left defenseless. The look of fear in her eyes was something he would never forget as long as he lived. That damned book that seemed to have come straight from hell was hovering over all of them; it too mocked all of them and their powerlessness over their own fate.

That one lined bothered him more then anything though _'this was the beginning of the end for the Blazing Star' _he hated that line. He knew what it meant; it meant The Forest Prince had been the downfall of the Blazing Star.

"But I won't be." He whispered out loud in defiance to the still night air. Sighing in the darkness he sat on the bed and rested his head in his hands. Once the darkness had comforted him, he had disappeared into it as The Forest Prince when life as Lorren, The Goblin Prince had become too much for him. When his parents expected too much of him, when he had felt too weak and when he had doubted himself able to carry on the royal line and become king, it was still a thought that haunted him. Now the darkness only increased those fears and now added on his ones for Kara. She knew nothing of his fears, the ones he had harbored before they had even met that day in the forest. She had her own worries and he made sure not to add to that list by knowing her boyfriend, or he wasn't even sure what their standing was, was a coward. After all, princes weren't to fear anything, let alone their own fate as king.

He shook his head and scoffed at himself for being so self centered, this was about Kara and her well-being, not his loss of his old safe-hold in darkness. Finished with his private pity-party, and ashamed at himself for allowing himself to sink so low, it wasn't something he had thought about in a while, he rose to his feet and continued his pacing rather half-heartedly. It was then he heard a noise. It was quite but the night was silent; he turned to the door. Without thought he grabbed his sword from its hiding place in a compartment under his bed, plucking it from the black material of his Forest Prince outfit, relishing in the feel of the hilt in his hand. If he had said he didn't favor a good fight he had been lying through his teeth. Old friend in hand, he stalked out into the hall.

With narrowed eyes he stepped soundlessly through the empty halls, though it was dark he saw with ease, yet it still brought none of its old comforts. Sneaking down these halls at night use to be a pleasure, like he was going home, where he truly belonged, but now he felt as if he were walking to the gallows through some strange and unfriendly citadel. He heard it again, a small clanking noise, as if someone were gently tapping on metal. He paused, whoever or whatever was doing it was not trying to be discreet. They were calling to him, knowing he would hear. Perhaps it was someone else they were after, but it was doubtful.

He knew he should have turned back, but he couldn't bring himself to. Raising his sword a bit higher he followed the sound to the spacious laboratory. The sound stopped as soon as his foot crossed the threshold.

"You've come too far Forest Prince." A malicious voice hissed in the darkness. His eyes scanned the room for the speaker but saw nothing. "You should stop this before it starts. Don't go too deep. But don't worry about that, I'll be sure you don't." It was mocking him, scorning him.

"Who are you?" he demanded dauntless into the expanse of the room. Cautiously he began circling the room, whipping around at the slightest sound or movement.

A dark laugh echoed through the darkness "Who am I?"

Something moved before him, he swung his sword in a professional manor, letting his opponent know he was no inexperienced lad when it came to fighting. The creature stalked out of its hiding spot. It was a wolf, a mistwolf, and a large one at that. It was a graying brown with an unnatural grin crossing its scarred face.

"I'm your worst nightmare."

With those words the wolf spread its jaw and silently leapt at the stunned goblin.

His sword made a treacherous clang as it hit the floor several feet away.


	11. The Blood of a Prince

So shockingly I return with another chapter, enjoy!

_Disclaimer-_I don't own Avalon…come on people, it's fun to use our brains…

"_Pack mate, pack mate; wake up! Please, pack mate!" _Adriane groaned, annoyed as Dreamer nudged her arm repeatedly. For a few moments she tried to push his muzzle away.

"What is it Dreamer?" his voice was groggy from sleep and dripping with annoyance. She sat up on her elbows, knowing she was fighting a loosing battle, and squinted her eyes at the glowing green numbers on her alarm clock. "It's 5:30 in the morning! And it's Saturday!" She rolled over, determined to go back to sleep but the mistwolf leapt on her bed, throwing massive paws at her legs, preventing any form of relaxation.

"Tasha needs you!"

"Tasha?"

"Something's wrong, we have to help her."

Still sleepy but with a new rush of adrenaline Adriane sat up right. "What do you mean something's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

Dreamer whined and leapt off the bed with a thump and scratched at the door. She felt the blood leave her face even though she could feel her heart beating twice as fast. Hastily she pulled on a pair of socks, mismatched, and pushed on her slippers before grabbing her robe and silently chasing after Dreamer through the dark little house and out the front door. The woods were silent and usually she would have stopped and took time to notice the natural beauty of it all, something that could never be accomplished by man with the first rays of light peaking over the dark and still forest with a hazy layer of morning fog hovering just above the ground. Today however the fog seemed to slow her down, to bind her ankles like shackles and the silence of the forest felt like a dark omen.

She pulled her black bathrobe tighter around her thin body, wishing she had worn her full length sweatpants to bed instead of her shorts. It was only a short walk to the manor but today it seemed to take an eternity to reach the back door of what use to be the kitchen, now dusty and covered in cobwebs from years of disuse but still holding the air of Victorian pride, and through the foyer. She felt like she was climbing the great pyramids rather then a slightly longer then average stair case and she was out of breath, something these stairs hadn't done to her in years. Down this hall then that one, around this corner and back another, had the mirror always been so far away? Finally she saw it shimmering at the end of the hall, a string of ivy wrapped around its dulling golden frame and an ancient door to an unknown room standing beside it. The mirror glittered and rippled as someone tried to contact them from the other side.

"Tasha!" she dropped to her knees before the mirror and waited until a green blob came into view through the churning of the mirror's surface.

"Adriane?" The familiar voice sounded tired and a little hoarse.

"Yeah, I'm here, what's going on?" She tried to keep the panic out of her voice.

There was a long pause and she thought she could see the green shifting around in the all ready shifting surface. "I think you'd better come here, but get Kara and Emily too!"

"Dreamer, go find Kara and Emily!" She commanded, having no intention of leaving. Tasha made a noise as if to disagree with this plan but Adriane was all ready pushing herself into the uneasy surface of the mirror.

As the goblin laboratory came into focus she knew something was wrong, the normally neat counters were cluttered with half finished experiments, as if Tasha had stopped in the middle of whatever she was doing, and the goblin teen herself was a wreck. She was usually as neat as her work area, with her cute black hair brushed neatly out of her face and her clothes professionally crisp, but this morning was not the case. Her hair was untouched, sticking up, frizzy and falling across her light green face, which appeared far paler then usual. She held a red robe tight around her body; she was still in her sleepwear. Her expression held none of her usual playful excitement, she looked tired and even a bit older, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Tasha," Adriane felt a loss for words "What…what happened?" With a sigh and a final uneasy glance at the mirror Tasha turned and motioned for her to follow. They walked past the many rows of shelves a counters that made up the laboratory, most of them clean and well kept, a few with items still out until they passed one where Tasha turned her head away and Adriane jumped as if something had jumped out at them. Glass was smashed, their contents of powders and liquid covered the floor, but she hardly saw any of them for the sickening amount of blood that coated the floor. Adriane had never felt queasy around blood before, she had seen doctors operating on television and blood in action movies where others turned away, she had even seen a few sever cuts on humans and animals alike and hadn't flinched but this was a whole other story. It was one thing to see that blood and know that it was Hollywood effects or the person would be all right and quite another feeling to see it spread out along the floor like paint, and know it all belonged in someone you knew, maybe even someone you loved. After a moment of blank staring she tried to calm down her breathing, she turned away from Tasha so she wouldn't see the brief look of relief that crossed her face. She felt terrible for whoever had been so brutally attacked, truthful she was no where near being at ease, but it hadn't been Zach. There was no reason for him to be at the Goblin laboratory so early in the morning, and she was pretty sure human blood wasn't that dark.

A few shaky breathes later she felt ready to speak "Who…" when her voice gave out she tried again "who's is it…" was that really her voice, so high pitched and frail?

Before Tasha could answer footsteps echoed through the empty corridor to their right and a blonde human boy turned the corner.

"Zach!" Adriane gasped and without thinking flung her arms around him. Astounded he hardly reacted until she released her grip and pulled back, crimson faced. "I'm sorry…" she stammered "just…" she gestured in the direction of the blood and he nodded, understanding. His face was pale and his hair disheveled. She didn't want to look at the scene of chaos but didn't feel safe in turning her back to it, like if she let her guard down whatever horrors that had occurred there would leap up and strike her from behind. Focusing in on Zach's tired features and nothing else she searched his face for any sign of physical upheaval, she found none other then exhaustion. "What happened?"

With a burdened sigh Zach looked back to Tasha, she rested on the counter with her head in her hands. Finding no help in the goblin sorceress he stared at the wall above Adriane's head, taking both her hands in his. His blue eyes shook with pain and he made no move to brush his pail hair away from his face. Adriane took a small step forward, unsure of what to say, they were inches apart.

"I was sleeping when Nightwing showed up…" he averted his eyes to the floor and tried to laugh "Thing was screeching and carrying on a fit." He shook his head "I didn't know what was wrong, damn thing can't talk, and jumped on the Drake and followed it through a portal and all the way here." He coughed and flipped his hair uneasily.

Adriane braced a hand on his shoulder and applied a bit of pressure until her met her eyes. "Stop delaying it Zach, what happened?"

He tried to look away but found she had him pinned, he couldn't break her gaze as hard as he tried.

"God Zach, if you're having this much trouble telling Adriane what are you going to do when Kara gets here?" Tasha laughed humorlessly, staring out the wide window at the beautiful scene painted across the fairy realms as the sun stretched out over the trees. A fresh wave of tears trickled down her face as she fought to keep a false smile in place. Adriane's eyes widened in horror, of course it had been Lorren, who else would have been in the goblin laboratory at such an hour?

"Adriane…" Zach trailed off again unsure.

"Yes?" was there more? What more could he possibly add to this tragic tale?

"It was a Mistwolf." Adriane's heart stopped.

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Kara raced through the dark hallway at Ravenswood Manor, a quick yell to her parents that there was an emergency at Ravenswood and a change of clothes and she was gone. She hadn't even applied any make-up today and her hair was only half brushed, fear raced through her for what could have happened. Passing Emily in a blur at the gate she had continued following Dreamer up the path to the old manor, unlike Adriane she didn't feel out of breath, in fact she didn't remember having to breathe at all. With Emily, Ozzie and Lyra at her heals and Dreamer in front of her she raced down the intricate halls and corridors until the mirror came into view, without a second thought she hit it at full force. It was an eerie feeling, it slowed her down so suddenly she knew she must have injured something but the mirror passing itself was gentler then she had remembered. Crashing to the other side she stumbled for footing and when she finally regained her sight and weight crashed against her back, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Sorry…" an embarrassed Emily mumbled, helping her back up. Kara nodded in acknowledgement then looked up and her heart sunk. She half hoped someone laughed at the two of them, falling around like newborn foals, just to reassure her things weren't as bad as she assumed but everyone's expression remained grave. She took a few steps forward but Zach and Marlin leapt forward and held her where she was.

"Kara…it's not good." Zach's expression was exhausted and pained, she looked over his shoulder at Adriane and Tasha, neither of them looking at her but at the floor.

"Where's Lorren?"

When no one answered and all refused to meet her eyes she felt her heart kick-start, feeling all the running she had been doing and the cramps in her calves. Struggling to stay up right she tried to push past Marlin and Zach who held her steadfast. "Let me go!" With a final effort she freed herself and continued through the laboratory towards whatever it was they didn't want her to see. Her footsteps echoed off the dreary walls and were magnified in her ears. A few short steps led her to the scene. Blood splattered across the floor, counters and wall. Glass, potions, powers, liquids and broken instruments littered the floor, innocently sitting on top or covered in the red substance.

All sense of reality drained out of her a turbulent spiral, taking all sanity with it as well. Her throat burned and her ears rang, she couldn't connect the two long enough to realize the screech filling the room was from her own mouth. The room swirled, colors bleeding together like she was living in a wet-on-wet water color. Even her mind couldn't form the a reasonable statement to say at this point, her world was falling apart, it had come crumbling down since Lyra had woken her up with eyes full of pity and told her something had happened to Lorren. Lorren, her Lorren was gone. She shuttered as another cry raked through her. Someone was holding her limp form up, keeping her from completely crashing to the floor. Far off there were voices, but they seemed so distant to her.

"He would have made a great king." Adriane whispered softly, but Kara caught every word of that. 'Would' rung in her mind, he was truly gone. Her first, last and only encounter with the boy she loved replayed in her mind over and over, but she couldn't feel his touch or hear his voice, all she could hear was Adriane's use of the past tense while speaking of him and knowing she would never hear him speak to her again. It was too much; all the LSD in the world couldn't trip her to the point of irreconcilable hysteria that she was in now. Slowly she began to come out of her trance-like state, a familiar calming feeling engulfed her form, a dim blue light hovering before her eyes but she swatted it away. She didn't want her friend's false calm, as painful as it was she just wanted to be left to her misery on her own, not to cover it up, it only seemed more painful to do so.

"What…what do you mean 'would'?" Marlin's fierce but quivering voice sounded close to her ear, "We can't give up! We have the greatest healer in all the realms with us, how dare any of you give up so easily." Kara's head snapped up.

"He's still alive?" her voice echoed off the walls, she hadn't meant for her tone to be so loud, or accusing but she couldn't help it, how could no one have told her that he still had breath in his body, that some of his blood still remained inside of him? She struggled to her feet, not bothering to push Marlin off of her as he kept her from falling.

Zach sighed, heavily and covered his face with his hands, "Yes, but Kara, I don't think-"

"I don't care! I want to see him!" Her voice was even louder and higher now. She turned wild eyed to Emily "You have to do something!" her tone had lost all of its demanding quality now though, it was all pleads. All eyes turned to the healer, her eyes were wide and horrified behind unruly auburn curls, full of self doubt. She swallowed though her mouth was dry; looking over the gruesome blood stains and nodded timidly, wiping the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand. Marlin stood tensely by Kara's side, dying to comfort Emily but not daring to leave the hysterical Blazing Star for fear of her falling.

Tasha, who had remained silent the entire time, rose from her slumped position and wordlessly led them down the corridor, this way and that, with even more anxiety raking through them all then when they had raced through the winding halls of Ravenswood. Suddenly Tasha turned on her heel and faced them, her head lowered so her short hair covered her somber face. One hand shot out and opened the closest door. Kara shook as she looked inside the room, but from where her feet were rooted all she could see was the far wall. She turned to Tasha and stared at her, willing her to look back.

Tasha's eyes were red and swollen from tears which were still coming, her cheeks drenched. The two girls locked eyes and forgot all the others standing around them. Finally the suddenly frail looking goblin girl opened her mouth, no noise came out, a second attempt led to a small croaking sobbing noise and Kara hugged her on instinct. Tasha hugged her back like a sister. Kara could feel her shaking as well; she knew she was the only one of the group who could possibly understand her pain, none of the rest held Lorren as dear to their hearts as they did.

"I...I…found him." Tasha choked, her voice sounded nothing like her usual peppy chatter. Pulling away the girls locked eyes once more. No more sobs came from the sorceress but her shaking had turned more violent, racking her body with tremors. "It-it-it was early this mor-morning. I wa-was coming down to star-start my work and-and I smelled bl-bl-blood." She swallowed hard, looking more like she was choking she struggled so hard "I-I-I did-didn't know wh-what had happened. Then I s-s-s-saw him lying there…." She trailed off, eyes wide and terrified. She tried to say more but her throat had given out. A part of Kara's mind wandered, following Tasha through the corridor to find Lorren lying broken and bloody on the floor, but she quickly pushed the image from her mind, she didn't want to think of it anymore. With a deep breath she strode past Tasha through the doorway.

Across the room was a single bed, surrounded by three goblin healers, all busy with different things and talking quickly among themselves. The goblin prince was blocked from view by a willowy female healer who turned around at a cough from Tasha. The woman looked tired and her eyes were tense with worry. "We just finished applying the bandages…" Kara rushed past her to Lorren's side. The prince looked nothing like she had expected. In her mind's eyes she had seen her love ripped apart, drenched in his own blood, twisted and mangled but it looked like he was sleeping, resting peacefully on his back with his head resting on his right cheek. His onyx and green hair was ruffled as if from sleep, gently she ran her hand through it, remembering doing the same just two nights ago. His left cheek still bore a bruise from John's fist, her mind trailed back to the two boys fight; it seemed so far away though it had been hardly three days prior.

The woman was back by Lorren's side, she pulled back the goblin boy's covers and Kara heard gasps behind her. It hit her brutally, the creature hadn't been attacking out of fear or nature, it was aiming to kill. He still wore his clothes from the day before; he hadn't even made it to bed. The denim on his jeans, jeans she had bought for him, had been slashed in a few places, the cuts weren't deep or serious looking but the edges of the torn fabric were red-brown with the stains, the true damage however was his upper half. His shirt was gone, obviously destroyed in the attack, but bandages covered most of his torso. The dressings were soaked through with blood and Kara could see it still seeping through. He was hit hardest on the neck. The beast hadn't wasted any time; it had gone straight for the kill. It was then she saw the toll it had taken on his arms, also wrapped in bandages, braced at awkward angles at his sides.

The Blazing Star ran her hand delicately over the braces and bindings that held his arms, biting her lower lip to stop its quivering. "What was it?" she looked back up at the woman, "Why didn't he fight back?"

With an audible exhale the goblin looked to the ceiling and then back down to her patient. "It was a mistwolf. There were bruises on his chest, we believe in slammed into him with its forepaws, his sword was laying a few yards away; the force might have knocked it out of his hands. Then it went for his neck, those scratches on his legs were probably the hind claws."

"And his arms?" She looked back to the immense damage done to the tender skin.

She paused again before continuing "His only form of self-defense, it would have killed him if he hadn't fought back so hard." Kara had to remind herself to breath, he had blocked the fangs and claws of a mistwolf with his _arms_. The thought chilled her to the bone, she could picture every second of the attack; Lorren stalking into the dark laboratory, sword in hand, and a shadow with fangs leaping from the darkness, forcing weapon out of hand and the boy to the ground. Her stomach churned as she imagined the enormous wolf standing over him, knowing it had won as it slashed at his tender skin, blood flying as he tried to keep its maw from his neck with his bare arms. Resting her hand softly on his left cast she imagined to torn tendons, slashed muscles and broken bones, all of which would take a long while to heal.

The woman took a hesitant step forward and took another deep breath before reaching down and tilting Lorren's head to the side, revealing three long scratches racing from his left temple, curving to his chin. Kara's intake was so sharp it burned her throat. Shaking she leaned down and ran her fingers across the marks before leaning down and kissing him the middle of the thickest one.

"Where's Raelda?" Tasha asked meekly.

"Voraxx and Selinda are in the other room with her; we had to give her a mild sedative to calm her down…." Kara cringed thinking of the goblin queen, though right now she wasn't a high and mighty queen; she was a hysterical mother with a dying son.

"He's lost a lot of blood, far too much…"

Kara looked to Emily. She saw her own desperation reflected in her friend's frightened eyes. With a deathly pail face and shaking hands the healer took a hesitant step forward, hand outstretched. Gently she laid her hand on Lorren's bandaged chest, a soft blue light spreading from her touch. Marlin moved forward, laying his hands on her shoulders. Kara too moved to Emily, resting her hands over top of the healers, adding an extra boost of energy. Lyra, Dreamer, Ozzie, Zach, Adriane and finally Tasha all moved to take a spot beside Emily.

Kara stared at Lorren through blurry eyes. She refused to believe that she would never again feel his lips against her, refused to believe she would never feel his warm body again and certainly refused to believe that the goblin kingdom, through all its turmoil with the Dark Sorceress, would have to burry a member of their royalty before he even became of age. No, she wouldn't let that happen. She _would_ kiss him again and she would tell him how much he meant to her and he would become the greatest king the kingdom had ever seen. With new vigor she pushed her magic harder.

Emily bit her bottom lip to keep from yelping as Kara sent the new wave through her. She was tiring fast but she wouldn't give up on her friends, Lorren or Kara. She felt Marlin's hands on her shoulders, holding her steady and his breath on her cheek. She couldn't let go, her exhaustion would be well worth it if Lorren survived. There was no way she would let everyone down now. Painfully, she too pictured the burial of the prince; it might just be enough to push the rest of the goblin kingdom to The Dark Sorceress. Right now they needed their prince more then ever. She pushed her magic stronger.

Zach too watched with high anxiety for Lorren, whom he considered one of his best friends. True he had The Drake and the mistwolves for company and they were the greatest family he could ever ask for. He also had Adriane who he knew he was closer to then anyone else, but Lorren had been his first and best guy friend, his first male friend who didn't have fur and fangs. Lorren was the first person he had ever confessed his feelings for Adriane to. Sparing a sideways glance at the warrior's pail face he saw absolute terror in her dark eyes. He never wanted her to look like that again. Gently he pulled her a bit closer as they both focused their magic to aid Emily's healing. Looking at his bloody friend he couldn't help but feel responsible. A mistwolf had attacked him. After all, shouldn't Zach have been the first too know if a mistwolf was so violent? He raked his mind for any wolf who could have done such a thing. The cunning Iceclaw? The enormous Thunderheart? The lonesome Stareye? The sharp-tongued Firefang? No not even they would commit an act such as this. Much as he wished she didn't, he knew Adriane felt the same way.

Indeed she did, blaming herself for the mauling of her friend. How could she not, she was The Warrior after all, and some Warrior she was, letting a member of her own mistwolf friends nearly kill one of her other friends. How could she have not seen this coming, why couldn't she have prevented it? She pressed herself tighter into Zach's arms. Though she felt horribly guilty for thinking such a thing, she was glad it wasn't him. Looking over at Kara, her friend merely a reflection of what she had been before she couldn't imagine what she would have been like if it had been Zach laying in that bed instead of Lorren. As soon as they were out of earshot of the others she would tell him everything. Tell him how much she loved him and how much she needed him. Things she knew she would never say if she hadn't thought it had been him hurt for those first awful minutes. They were in a war; he needed to know, in case-no she wouldn't think like that. She pressed her magic harder to distract herself.

Marlin too looked over his friend with a heavy heart. He Zach and Lorren had become very close recently, bonded together by the girls. All three of them were complete opposites of the other but that's what evened them out. Marlin was intelligent and arrogant and Zach was brave and hot headed but where would the two of them be without Lorren's cunning and nervous demeanor? Besides Emily and Niva, Zach and Lorren were his closest friends, who he spent all of his time with when Niva grew bored and Emily was at her home on Earth. Marlin knew something the others didn't though, he knew this attack was provoked by the book, that damned book that knew them better then they knew themselves. He couldn't exactly pinpoint how he knew it was about the book, he just did, in the same way he knew what he had to do.

"_Midnight"_ the voice in the cave had whispered, had whispered to _him_. He knew he had to return there, tonight, and see what answers he could find. For a moment he thought of bringing the others but as he looked down upon his broken friend, listened to Kara's sobs going dry and felt Emily's body quiver beneath his fingers he knew he had to go alone. Pressing his check to hers he made a silent promise to her that he wouldn't let Lorren's fate be hers as well.


	12. The Stroke of Midnight

Snowlia-Haha bet you all thought I forgot about you again didn't you

Snowlia-Haha bet you all thought I forgot about you again didn't you?

Kimi-But…you did forget, that's why this took so long…

Snowlia-(makes violent arms gestures and laughs nervously) Me? Forget about this story? No way! Never…Anyway I'm looking back at earlier chapters and I deeply hope that my writing has been improving since then. Any comments or constructive criticism would be appreciated.

Disclaimer-In case you didn't catch on the first 11 times I said this, I do not own Avalon, or Lorren (cries).

Marlin edged his way down the dark stone staircase. He remembered only a few days prior making this same journey with Emily at his side. That had been their first encounter with this strange new force invading their lives. Tonight he was determined to get answers. The eerie whisper in the cave that day still haunted his memory. _'Midnight'_ it had taunted. His heart pounded against his rib cage, fighting his curiosity and begging him to turn back. What if he was killed down here tonight, what if he was just walking to his death at this very moment? He thought of Lorren lying bloody and dying in his bed and wondered if he had heard something as well, did something call to him and he had answered it as Marlin was doing now? He did his best not to picture himself lying like that with Emily crying at his side, or lying at the bottom of the sea with no one to cry for him. The thought was enough to slow him down but he didn't stop for fear that he wouldn't be able to continue once he did. Had the invitation, as it were, expired by now? Would she, whoever she was, be angry with him for ignoring her for so long?

Pushing all fears to the back of his mind he continued down the stairs, illuminated eerily by the moonlight filtering in from the opening above him. Slowly the light died away and he was pitched into near entire darkness. As slowly as the darkness had appeared it began to disperse, giving way to the moonlight wavering in from the cave below him. Marlin wasn't sure whether the thought was comforting or frightening to him. Blood pounded in his ears and every sound seemed amplified one hundred fold. The sounds of the water lapping against the pools sides no longer seemed comforting but disturbing and ominous.

He paused near the base of the stairs, he could see where they led into the water but the entryway was curved just enough that he couldn't see into the cave itself. Taking a deep breath and desperately trying to stop his hands from shaking he grasped the hilt of his knife sticking out of his belt. His thoughts once again were back to Lorren. Marlin thought about the cuts running along his face, the bloody bandages wrapping around his body, Kara crying, Emily nearly passing out from the amount of energy she threw into healing him, instead of allowing it to fill him with fear he turned it around and used it to full his determination, to find out a way to help his friend or at least confront the beast that had so viciously attacked him. He thought back to Emily, the desperation and pain in her eyes. He gathered every moment he could recall with her and before he lost his nerve took the last few steps into the cavern.

If the cavern was beautiful in the daytime, it was nothing compared to at night. The moon's image was reflected in the never still water, rushed along, in and out with the waves. Marlin couldn't appreciate the scene however, it was all underlined with the fate of him and his friends and that haunting whisper was still fresh in his memory. To his left something moved. He whipped around, drawing his dagger as he did so. Nothing was there. His heart kick started twice as hard, pounding so hard he was sure any second now it was going to leap from his chest.

"N-Niva?" he stuttered, knowing full well it was not his sea dragon occupying the cave with him. She had refused to come in here since the 'incident' a few days prior. He remembered how awfully she had felt for leaving him and Emily alone with the creature. She had told him that she hadn't sensed anything evil; it had just wanted her out. That was the only hope Marlin had at the moment that whatever he was facing wasn't truly evil.

"Show yourself!" he demanded as he heard another movement to his right. A light, humorless laugh reached his ears and his blood ran cold, it was the same laugh from the other day.

"I have nothing to hide." A woman's voice echoed through the cave as he saw movement a few feet out from him. She was no longer teasing him but swimming freely before him. The 'she' in question was truly breath taking. A long horse-like head rose from the water, droplets rolling off of shimmering auburn fur. She was only silhouetted by the moonlight but he could see glances of details, a few out of place scars defaced her otherwise flawless beauty. Titling her head in an all knowing fashion she allowed the light to reflect off of her kind and sorrowful amber eyes. A fiery red forelock clung across her face and an equally bright mane hung across her arched neck, making her look almost like a swan. Long, slender equine legs pawed at the ground beneath her. Behind her a wide dolphin-like tail rose in and out of the water.

Eyes wide with shock and fear Marlin stared at her, in far too much awe to speak. Slowly the beast approached, very cautiously as if afraid of frightening him. Marlin drew back a step as she came too close and she stopped. Slowly the beast arched her neck again but this time dipped it low, he blinked his eyes a few times, trying to process what she was doing, it couldn't be what he thought she was doing. She couldn't be…bowing to him, could she?

"Your highness." She whispered respectfully.

Shocked he felt his hand still shaking where he held his knife, knowing he would no longer need it but he still didn't dare put it away. The creature kept her head bent as the rest of her body coiled beneath the water, reminding him eerily of a snake. He realized what she was waiting for. "You may rise." He told her in what he hoped was a commanding voice but by the sparkle in her eye he guessed he had missed his mark.

"You're late." She scolded but she didn't sound angry at all.

Marlin had no time for her chiding or anything else besides getting answers. "Did you hurt Lorren?" he demanded, realizing how daft a question it was as soon as he asked it. How could she have attacked him? She was a water creature and the Goblin Kingdom was very far away. Also Lorren had been attacked with fangs and claws, of which she had neither.

Her eyes clouded over in pain anyway. "No, but I know who did."

"Who?" Marlin was surprised to find how strong his voice had become.

"His name is…or at least it was Cody."

"The Time Mage!" Marlin gasped.

For a moment the hippocampus looked surprised but then her expression gave way to understanding. "I see Merankawo's book has been recovered at last."

"You know about the book."

She laughed again. "I am one of its main characters."

Realization dawned in Marlin. The auburn colored fur, the faint blue light. "Elizabeth?" he breathed.

"That was my name once upon a time, yes."

"You were the original healer."

"Indeed I was." She moved about a bit, curving around stalagmites and columns.

"But…why would the Time Mage harm the new Forest Prince?"

"You read the poem in the beginning. Merankawo always thought himself such a great poet." She tilted a bit and looked wistfully at the moon as she remembered her old friend and Marlin allowed her the moment of peace. She shook her mane as if to rid herself of such old thoughts and turned back to him. "The Time Mage and Forest Prince, once brothers, became enemies."

A long and painful silence stretched between them as the weight of the words sunk in. "Why?" the question hung in the air, echoing off the walls.

With a hard intake of breath Elizabeth began. "I now know why, at the time though, no one had any idea. It was awful. Nothing made sense…" she trailed off and the cavern around them began to shimmer. "I don't believe I could ever convey it into words, I will show you…" The cavern disappeared and Marlin yelped and whipped around as they were suddenly in a room, a few people and animals stood around, the atmosphere was tense. The people appeared to be in their early twenties and though he had never seen them before they all looked hauntingly familiar.

"It was him!" exclaimed a rugged man with long blonde hair and fiery blue eyes. He glared at a tall and thin goblin man standing a few feet away. Black hair fell across his strained and fearful face.

"I didn't!" He exclaimed. "I would never hurt you brother! You must believe me!" his last plea was aimed at everyone in the room. Beings and beasts alike looked anxiously at one another, tense whispers echoed through the hall but none dared to speak too loudly.

"It was!" the blonde man yelled once more. "He attacked me last night! Tried to do away with me and take my jewel as his own!" He snarled ferociously.

"Why would he do that?" A beautiful blonde woman strode forward to defend the goblin.

"How should I know?"

"Please, there must be an explanation!" A beautiful and petite woman came to stand beside the arguing pair. Her eyes were pleading as well as she gazed from one to the other. It was Elizabeth.

"He did it, there is no other explanation. Cody saw him, Starclaw saw him, the Drake saw him and the cuts are from his blade!" A tall dark woman was equally as feral in defending Cody. A stone of amber pulsed at her wrist.

"I tell you brother I did not attack you!" Sweat beaded the goblin's forehead.

"Then show us your blade!" The warrior demanded. The goblin hesitated and her eyes narrowed. "Afraid to show us the blood upon it?"

"I was in battle yesterday, it is not his blood!"

"Your arm then Darrian." Cody growled.

"My…my arm?"

"Last night I slashed your arm, wrist to elbow, show us you are not wounded and perhaps I will believe you."

"Yes Darrian!" The blonde woman nodded, she put on a façade of calm, acting as if their accusations were the most ludicrous thing she had ever heard but her sapphire eyes betrayed her desperation to prove that he was innocent. "Show them your arm; show them how obscene they are being." Without hesitation he pulled up his left sleeve, revealing an uncut green forearm and the woman beamed. "See there is nothing there!"

Cody's lips curved into a snarl. "The _other_ arm." Darrian paused, gripping hold of his elbow tightly in an attempt to keep it from shaking. His eyes were pleading, begging anyone to believe him. Nervously he bit his lips and slowly rolled up his right sleeve. A grisly cut ran from wrist to elbow, it was red and fresh with blood pulsing just beneath the surface. Gasps of horror and distress raced through the spectators. Elizabeth faltered and stood looking very lost indeed.

The blonde woman stared in disbelief, tears welling up behind her dazzling eyes. She shook her head desperately. "No." her voice cracked as she attempted to sound strong. "HE DIDN'T DO IT!" she cried, glaring hard at the Warrior and Time Mage as if it were their fault her love was guilty of such horrible crimes.

Darrian hadn't moved. Inky hair fell across his damp brow, obscuring his eyes from view as he gazed intently down at the cut. "I didn't do it." His whisper was barley audible and Marlin wasn't even sure anyone else had heard it. Slowly he sunk to his knees and the Blazing Star rushed to his side, throwing her arms around him as she tried to hide her tears but his eyes were for the mark only.

Marlin was ripped backward with such force he was sure he would be killed by the whiplash but a second later he was standing peacefully in the cavern, the water around him hadn't even rippled. The healer swam anxious circles around the columns, lost deep in thought. "It was one of the darkest days of my life." She gazed out at the moon, sounding more as if she was talking to herself rather then him.

"Did…did he do it?" Marlin was surprised at how weak his voice sounded.

Elizabeth whipped around as if just remembering he was there. With a pained sigh she answered "Yes."

It took Marlin a moment to realize he was shaking. "Why? Why would he do that to his friend?"

"He didn't."

"But you just said-"

She shook her mane with impatience. "No. Something was wrong with him. I had sensed it long before that but it happened so gradually I never realized what was happening…"

"What?" he flushed purple as he heard his voice crack. The healer cocked her head and surveyed him and all the pain in her eyes seemed to wash away. Suddenly she was a very different person.

"So young…" her whisper was soft and caressing, calming him more then he thought possible at the moment. "You look so very much like him you know."

"Like who?" he whispered back, wanting desperately to know the rest of the story but not daring to break her sudden tranquility.

"Alden, my love."

"Alden? The Mer prince's name was Alden? As in Aldenmore?" She nodded and smiled at his shock.

"He was a great man and the realm was named after him." A million questions pounded through his mind. What had he done? Had he been just as Marlin was, hated by half of his people and trusted by none of them? Lingering questions as to what had happened to the Forest Prince still lay on his tongue, desperate to be asked but he bit them back, he knew he would have to wait.

"I was thirteen years old when I first met him, truly met him that was. For all my life I had worked in the castle, a lowly human under the supervision of the merpeople. The prince, Alden couldn't bond with a seahorse. They thought that perhaps he was not destined to be king." She paused "It was near this time when I met him first. He was down in the stables at a very late hour and I was checking on a few of the seahorses." Again she paused, remembering the moment. Marlin had had about all he could take of her little side rants and stories, he wanted to know what was going on and this woman obviously knew but wasn't keen on sharing her knowledge. Patience was a virtue but it wasn't one he often used.

If Elizabeth noticed his impatience she ignored it. "He was…distracted. He didn't see me coming but when he finally saw me I thought that was it for me, he was so furious." She paused again and Marlin wondered if it was possible to die of anticipation. "He had been crying you see, and for me to witness it..." She shook her head. "I still don't know how it happened but somehow I calmed him down. I guess it was my magic. He wasn't having much luck with his own magic and if this continued he would loose his claim to the throne, he couldn't rule a society of magical beings with no magic of his own, it just couldn't be done. I'll spare the details for I feel you growing weary of my nostalgic monologues." She smiled sideways at him as he flushed, feeling a bit like a child that had been caught in the act of a wrong doing by an adult. "To put it shortly, I aided him in finding his magic and bonding to a seahorse. In turn we fell in love." She smiled again at him. "And you love the present healer. Emily is her name, yes?"

Without missing a step he answered confidently "Yes, I love Emily and that's why I need your help. Please Miss Elizabeth, I can't let anything happen to her. You're the only one who knows the whole story; you're the only one who can help us."

Elizabeth curled her snake like body uncomfortably beneath the water. "So like Alden…" she sighed defeated as she stared out into the moonlight. "We were called forth by the fairimentals and the powers of Avalon to stop war and promote peace and yet we started the greatest war Aldenmore and the Fairy Realms have ever seen."

"Please Miss Elizabeth!" Marlin begged "Please, tell me what happened! I need to know, WE need to know!"

She looked sadly at him and nodded determinedly "I will tell you, but not now. The Goblin Prince is still alive, yes?" Marlin nodded somberly "Bring him to me, together Emily and I should be able to undone the most sever of the damage. I must wait until you are all present before telling you the whole story of our demise." She looked back to the moon. "Bring him and the rest of your friends here tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" he cried. "Lorren was only attacked last night; he hasn't even woken up yet! His wounds are awful, there's no way we can move him, it would kill-"

"If those wounds are left without my magic he will die before the sun rises tomorrow." She cut him off fiercely. "And I guarantee it will not be a smooth passing, I doubt Cody's magic will have set in yet but it won't be long..." she trailed off grimly "Has Emily tried to heal him yet?"

"Yeah, it stopped some of the bleeding but she didn't get very far beyond that."

"Well it bought him some time at least." She flipped her tail and dove under the water, rocketing to the other side of the cavern with unimaginable speed before resurfacing. "Tomorrow, when the moon is in the center of the sky, bring him to me and I'll do my best. Then I'll tell you all I know." Before Marlin could say anything more she was gone, leaving him full of questions, doubt and fear. He sighed as he stared back up the dark stairs, his mind was spinning and he was trying to quiet it, Elizabeth hadn't been the most helpful, leaving him more confused then ever but tomorrow night he would get his answers. Tomorrow night the real battle would begin and he knew it. He felt sick to the stomach at the thought of battling the forces that had torn into Lorren, beings older then he could ever comprehend with centuries of experience and unsatisfied vengeance towards one another and towards the new mages.

He leaned up against the wall for support as he thought of bringing Emily into all of this. How could he do that to her? How could he claim to love her and then throw her to the wolves like this? There was no way around it though; she would have to come with them. He made a silent promise to himself and Emily that he wouldn't let her leave his sight, from the moment she stepped through the portal until she stepped back through he wouldn't leave her side, regardless of how upset it made her. He refused to let any harm come to her from now on.

Sickly he thought back to Elizabeth's final words, about how Cody's magic hadn't set into Lorren yet. What did that mean? He thought grimly that he would find out soon enough and wondered morbidly if the worst was still yet to come for his unfortunate friend, lying dormant and malicious inside of him. Marlin sunk to the floor with the weight of it all. With a few deep breathes he tried to pull himself together. He couldn't fall apart now, his friends needed him more then ever, not that they had ever really needed him before. If Alden could do it, so could he, he could be strong for his friends, for Niva and for Emily. Purposefully he heaved himself back off the damp stone and began to ascend the steps once more, back to his dying friend and the rest of his world, bracing himself for whatever was ahead.

AN-Dun dun dun! What will become of our beloved mages? Will Lorren survive until tomorrow? Why did the Forest Prince attack the Time Mage? What horrible story could Elizabeth have to tell? Will the author make any more typos? Will Snowlia ever learn to stay away from the chocolate and Gatorade and stop annoying readers with long authors notes and spend more time actually updating on time?? Only time will tell… (waves arms for dramatic effect)


	13. The Parasite and the Host

Zach was far beyond exhaustion. Adrenaline and fear had kept him so awake that he could barley even register his own basic needs.

"You should get some rest," Tasha's voice came from somewhere very far away, or perhaps very close, it was difficult to tell. Perhaps she was very close or far away, his thoughts were floating off on strange patterns and were difficult to keep a hold of.

Wearily he shook his head "Mm fine, na tired…" The noise Tasha made wasn't quite a laugh but it was something of amusement.

"I'm sure. Just rest a little; we'll wake you when the girls get here." He was about to argue but found it very difficult to move his mouth. As his eyelids finally drooped closed he tried to focus on Lorren, lying weakly on the bed before him and felt another stab of sympathy for his broken friend, reasoning that Tasha would still be awake with him should anything happen. Tasha was hovering close over his still form, her midnight hair brushing his cheek. Zach's thoughts and vision were still nebulous but too him it appeared that her soft touches and intense gaze didn't look very sisterly. Before he could consider this matter further, however, he was unconscious.

"Where's Marlin?" The question came through a thick haze of sleep yet somehow he felt compelled to answer.

"He left," Zach didn't remember falling asleep nor did he truly remember waking up but suddenly Emily was standing before him, a look of confused worry across her freckled face.

"What?" The rest of the world slowly fell into place and he shook his head to rid the last bits of weariness off as he took in the two girls behind Emily.

"Adriane!" he gasped as he connected two and two together. An awkward silence followed his unexpected outburst as all turned to him. Adriane arched a thin eyebrow in surprise.

"Yes?"

Zach flushed crimson at the others tiredly amused stares and quickly tried to cover himself.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly "I'm not quite awake yet…"

She smiled in understanding and nodded "You look awful."

He frowned deeply and ran a hand self-consciously through his ruffled hair. "Gee thanks."

"Sorry," now it was the warrior's turn to blush "I just meant…tired. Sorry."

"It's alright," he smiled sympathetically at her and was about to ask something else when Emily cut him off."

"Where's Marlin, Zach?" she demanded.

He turned to her, confused. "I told you, he left."

"When?"

"When I woke up!"

"Oh, so that's what you said, it sounded like a bunch of mumbling to us," Ozzie smiled teasingly, though his eyes were heavy with sorrow, all of theirs were.

"He left?" all three girls gasped at once.

"How could he leave?"

With a heavy sigh Zach looked hopelessly down at Lorren, still bandaged and bloody and as unmoving as ever. "I know, I told him not to go but he said it was important."

"Then it must have been," Emily assured them as she took her seat next to Kara who was whispering something in Lorren's deaf ear. Her pale blonde hair was like a funeral veil, falling tragically across her usually so bright face. Ending her quiet monologue with a kiss on the goblin's ear she sat up and Zach was hit with the full force of the transformation made by her grief. So much of the Blazing Star's time had previously gone into her appearance, but not today. No makeup graced her uncharacteristically solemn face and her usually shimmering straight hair was kinked and dull. Her jeans and grey hoodie still no doubt carried a hefty price tag and yet it was still a far stretch from her normal attire. Her puffy blue eyes looked like they had run dry.

"Where did he go?" she asked emotionlessly.

"I don't know," he shook his head and had to look away from her grieving form "said he needed to talk with someone."

"When did he leave?"

"Pretty soon after you guys did. As soon as it got dark," Tasha's voice was flat; making it sound like someone else entirely had taken over her form.

"Dawn was hours ago!" exclaimed Adriane.

Another silence overtook the room, though this time the air was heavy with tension. Emily was rigid, her eyes locked on Lorren's limp form and it didn't take much to guess what she was thinking.

"I'm sure he's fine." Zach lied even as a he felt his own stomach twist with dread.

Adriane edged closer to him and her scent overtook him, relaxing him more than he thought possible at the moment. "Yeah Emily," she smiled encouragingly at the healer "he'll be back." Zach gently took Adriane's hand to stop it from shaking. Marlin was alright, he had to be.

"Yes," Emily nodded, her face was tight and unnaturally pale "he'll be fine." Dazed she eased into a chair beside Lorren, looking down at him but seeing nothing.

"Zach?" Adriane whisper slid into the silence, breaking Zach's daze.

"Huh?" he looked up at her imploringly.

"Can you, can you come with me a second?" her face was tense and flushed, she looked uneasy and nervous.

"Yeah," he stood, and gave one look back at Lorren before following her out. Emily, Kara and Tasha looked up expressionlessly but said nothing.

"What is it?" Adriane had her back to him, her hands wrestling one another and her shoulders taught with anxiety. "Adriane," he touched her arm gently, concerned.

With a rumble in her throat Adriane turned to face him, her shoulders abnormally stiff, making her stand a bit taller but her eyes were still downcast. Her lips parted and her eyes raised to his as if to say something but just as quickly she cleared her throat again looked back down. "Look Zach, I don't know how to say this but I'm really worried for you…"

Zach nodded "I know, we're all in danger here I think," he watched her intently, having a vague idea of where this was going but still unsure.

She nodded, raised her head and looking like she had gotten a second wind of confidence. "Yeah, just…just promise me you'll be careful OK? I mean first Lorren and now, possibly Marlin, I couldn't stand it if something happened because I wasn't here to pro-help you," Zach's brow furrowed as he heard her slip.

"Protect me?" He crossed his arms and glowered "I don't need protecting," Who was she, to think that he needed to be watched after like a pup? "I have magic of my own if you remember. In fact I think it's you, who's needed my protecting."

Adriane's head snapped up and she glared him down, crossing her arms as well. "I don't need protecting either," she snapped back, dark eyes blazing.

Zach set his jaw, annoyed with the cocky Warrior, angered that she had inadvertently declared herself the stronger of the two. She stared right back, looking just as annoyed. Suddenly she dropped her arms and rolled her eyes skyward. "Zach, what are we doing?" she hissed. "Lorren is laying in there half dead and I came out here to tell you to be safe because I care about you and you turn it all around into a fight on me!" she accused angrily.

Zach wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He dropped his arms as well and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, unsure of what to do. He gasped as she flung her arms around him in a fierce and quick hug, pulling back almost immediately, her hands still resting on his arms.

"Just be careful OK?" she voice was tight and her face held together just so, fear trying to break through.

He nodded and hugged her tighter, making her give a squeak of surprise. "You be careful too, I care about you too you know," he told her boldly, holding her to him so he didn't have to see her face. Adriane's arms tightened back around him.

"I will," for a few seconds they stood like that, tense and worried and not wanting to let go, before Adriane pulled back and faced him dead on, and then she swooped in close and pressed her lips lightly to his. Zach's eyes went wide and he gasped as she kissed him swiftly and then pulled back before he had a chance to respond. "Just in case," she nodded a bit sheepishly but her tone was almost businesslike as a red tint blazed across her cheeks. Without another word she turned heel, the tips of her hair brushing across his face.

With his hand clasped firmly in hers she took a step but suddenly stopped. "Marlin!"

Zach heard his neck crack as he twisted to see down the hall. Sure enough, there stood Marlin, looking a little worse for wear but still intact. "Hey," his voice was tired and hoarse and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Where have you been?" Adriane pounced at once though she seemed a little more reserved. It looked as if he had been through a lot. His normally prim and proper attire was sloppy and one side of his collar was hanging open while the other tucked in neatly. It didn't even look as if he had brushed his hair today.

He didn't answer, just breezed past them and into the room, leaving them to follow.

"Marlin!" Emily gasped quietly, at his side in an instant. There display of affection was short, limited to a tight embrace and a few quick whispered words, no doubt Emily demanding to know where he had been.

Kara looked up listlessly and Zach could have sworn he saw a flash of anger in her dull blue eyes before she looked away again. His stomach twisted as he thought of what she could possibly be mad at. Could she have possibly have wished that Marlin had been struck down too? Giving her Emily's company in grief? Or was she jealous that Marlin had returned and Lorren was the one who had been hurt? Subtly he shook his head; it wouldn't do to think that a friend was wishing such awful things about another. Then again, misery did awful things to a person, both inside and out.

Marlin took a deep breath and looked at the group sadly "I have something to tell you guys…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile Lorren was having his own problems in his dreams.

His hands shook as he held to the vanity, he was trying his hardest, trying to fight off the feeling edging up his spine, creeping through his limbs and making them numb to its control. He couldn't let it win, not again, not tonight. Please, he begged to himself, to the monster, please let me be, let me go! But it would not listen as it wrapped its way around his bones, as his fingers slowly returned to their normal color as they released their grip of the creaking wood. With a great effort he raised his head to meet his own eyes in the mirror.

Lifeless and pained, the dull green irises stared back at him sympathetically. Over his shoulder a beautiful young woman sat on a regal canopy bed, the curtains billowing in the wind through the open window. She held them back with a determined hand as she watched him, misery coloring her beautiful face. It was a crime for such a breath-taking woman to have to spend her nights with him. Her figure was full and frail and her face striking and pale. Her long golden hair fell down her back and her large blue eyes were glistening with tears as she held her free hand over her mouth.

He gazed over his own reflection. His own form was sickly skinny and shaking, his green skin an unnatural pale. Something in the back of his conscious mind told him it was wrong. A few features differed from his own and his shoulders were broader, his limbs not quite so awkward. There was a man looking back at him, not a boy. His eyes were sunken and his features sharper as the skin seemed to cling to his bones. The fight had been weakening him for a long time now. "Get out," he croaked, unsurprised at how cold and hoarse his voice had become. Without a word the woman shook her head, her hair flying about her.

"Get out!" he instructed more forcefully, glaring at her in the mirror.

Directly disobeying him she stood and glided towards him, her hand resting on his shoulders as he looked down again. "I promised you I'm not going anywhere, I want to be with you," she told him solemnly, her chin resting against his shoulder.

"Don't lie to me," he hissed, sounding almost more animal than goblin but she didn't flinch.

"I'm not lying, I love you Darrian."

"Then leave, please, Isabella," he begged, "please."

Isabella shook her head against him "I'm not going anywhere."

"I can't-can't control myself for much longer," he gasped as breath suddenly wasn't coming as quickly.

Her grip on his shoulders tightened. "Come back to bed and lay down for a while, please?"

Reluctantly he let himself be led back to the bed where he laid down on his back, closing his eyes at the sudden searing pain that split through his head. He let out a cry of pain as he clung to the covers, his knuckles going white once more with effort. It was down his back again, white hot and deliberate. Parts were on fire, while other parts stinging with cold. He was being spilt open and cut to pieces, prodded and harassed. His cries became muffled as a wet rag held his teeth apart and he would have kissed his glorious wife for her thoughtfulness, had he had the energy or mindset to do so. Never in his life had he felt so much pain. It was everywhere.

Suddenly as the searing pain had come, it was gone. His eyes opened wide in relief, the world suddenly so clear and painless. Slowly Isabella looked up from where she had laid her head across his chest, her face soaked with tears. Why was she looking so frightened? He was alright now, it was all over, the monster had lay down and lost, right? He made to brush her hair from her face but nothing happened, his hand didn't move. Horror made him sick, he hadn't won, he had lost control of his body, horribly and pathetically he had lost. His will to move was encased in a concrete cast of his own body while a new master was pulling the strings, turning him into nothing more then an unwilling puppet.

His hand moved of its own accord, ripping the rag ungratefully from his mouth and tossing it across the room in annoyance. _"NO!"_ He screamed inside his head while a cold and sneering laugh escaped his own lips. Isabella flinched at the awful sound as she looked sadly at him.

"Darrian…" She whimpered.

"What's the matter dear?" His own deformed voice asked mockingly "Don't you want to be with your own husband? I'm hurt," he purred and Lorren, or Darrian, whoever he now was, tried to fight back but to no avail. With a swift motion Isabella was in his arms, pulled close in a harsh embrace. His lips crushed against hers and though he could feel the warmth he still fought, this man, this man in his own body was taking advantage of his own wife, and there was nothing he could do but watch. She fought him off, with swift jabs and punches until the man released her and shoved her roughly away, sending her sprawling to the ground with a sickening thud.

He was on his feet now, gazing at his reflection in the mirror, all was the same, except now he held himself with a prouder and more dominant air, and twisting across his face was a sick and malicious grin, one that frightened even himself. Where there had once been light green eyes now stared back cold and grey, highlighted with red.

Something hard and painful collided with the back of his head and he whipped around to see Isabella, standing with an armful of books, her tear filled eyes furious. "Leave him alone!" she hissed and threw another book, missing him by inches but the second collided with his chest. Darrian didn't even mind the pain it inflicted upon himself, as long as it hurt his parasite.

"Stupid girl," Lorren saw what was going to happen before it did. The new him grabbed the books off the floor and without a care tossed it back at her, hitting her in the jaw. With a scream she fell to the floor, a thin trail of blood in tow.

Darrian tried to help her but knew there was nothing he could do. Already having forgotten the whimpering girl, the man moved across the room, pulling open a drawer beneath the bed to reveal a deadly sword, resting on a set of black clothes. His hand grazed the sword's glittering emerald hilt when suddenly another object collided with his face, shattering against his skull and piercing his skin with20its shards. He screamed in pain as he clutched his wounded face. Blood was beginning to pool at his feet as it dripped down from his face. He pulled back his hands in horror to find them coated with his own blood.

In fury he whipped around to where Isabella stood, a wild look in her eye, a fearsome sight with blood creeping out the side of her mouth. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she screamed, a banshee's cry.

He lunged at her and his fist collided with her cheek, internally Lorren cried out with pain of his own. Suddenly he was bound again, his limbs pinned to his sides by golden magic. Isabella stood at its source, holding it steady with a jewel around her neck.

"Go ahead," He taunted, "kill me, all you'll do is kill my host and I don't think we want that, do we now?" With a tortured expression Isabella released her magic, pulling it back to her, defeated.

With another cold laugh he strutted towards her, clasping her bruised cheek his hand roughly and pulling her face to his for another kiss, leaving a smear of his own blood on her face. "Now my dear, it's not all that bad is it? Not if you comply. I'm sure I'd make a much better lover then your current husband," his arm wrapped around her lower back and his other moved down to the side of her dress. She gasped in fear as his fingers trailed along the side of her bust. He laughed darkly and grasped her thin thigh in his hand, moving his blood stained lips across her neck as she bit her lip.

Furious and with one final effort Darrian pushed himself forward and his body stopped, frozen between two hosts. Isabella pushed away quickly in this lapse of control and stood hesitantly a few feet away, watching his face intently. Darrian?" she questioned, a sadly hopeful tone. His head shook and gave another cold laugh.

"No sorry my dea-" he stopped dead as Lorren fought harder. He gagged on his words and grabbed the bed post for support.

"Darrian, Darrian love, fight him, you can do it, I know you can," she begged, tears streaming down her face as she egged him on. In the mirror he saw his horribly wounded face, slashed by hundreds of tiny shards and among the carnage grey eyes flashed green, then back to grey. He fought harder than he ever had before. With the effort he collapsed to the floor, coughing and shaking. Isabella's form pressed against his back, her arms wrapped protectively around him as he felt the hold on his bones evaporate and he was once again himself.

Shaking and gasping for breath he lay there as he heard the faintest echo of a cold laugh in the back of his mind, where it would wait for another day to torture him. "Darrian, Darrian," she cried, hugging him tightly, covering his bloodied face with bloody kisses of her own. Weakly he rested his head in her awaiting lap.

"Get me my sword," he rasped.

"Why?" she stopped dead in her shower of affection.

"Get me my sword," he repeated.

"Why?" she cried, more desperate this time.

"You have to kill me, Isabella,"

"NO!" she screamed and held him closer to her "I won't do it!" she cried harder, her tears splattering against his face. "I love you Darrian…"

"I know," he assured her "that's why I want you to do it. For you safety, for the safety of others, for my own sake, please put me out of misery," he felt his own tears, hot on his face and running into his cuts. "I can't take this any more. It has to end. I swear to you Isabella, I will be happier, I will be safer and I will always love you. Please Isabella," She clasped her hand over his mouth.

"We will find you a healer, we will be rid of him, I promise you!"

He shook his head, "He will only move onto the healer and still have control of me, you know it, if I die, then he will have a hard time pulling himself back together-"

"NO!" again she screamed almost savagely "Please Darrian," her cry became a whisper "please, you can fight him off I know you can."

"No I can't, my conscious is no more then an annoying buzz in his ear…No, he'll be back, harder and harsher than before and I can't take it anymore…"

For a long moment Isabella was quiet and Darrian vainly hoped that she was considering his offer but finally she sighed exhausted and stroked his hair. "Just sleep for now, love, we will deal with it again later."

The world slipped slowly away and suddenly it was Lorren, really Lorren now, standing in the middle of black nothingness. He looked left and right, up and down, confused and a bit frightened by both the sudden darkness, though he could quite clearly see himself, and by the scene he had just physically witnessed. His body still ached and burned and stung from what had transpired.

"Hello?" he called into the darkness but no one answered. He took a few steps but it felt as if he never moved for everything was the same. Panic closed his throat and his breaths came in gasps. More frightened then he had ever been he sunk low to the floor, rubbing his suddenly burning arm in annoyance. Without warning a bolt of pain slashed through his leg and he screamed but no sound escaped his throat. It felt as if it had been broken, snapped with a giant nutcracker, but it looked fine on the outside. He clutched it as the burning in his arm intensified, it was on fire but he could see no flames. With another silent cry his head felt as if it had been struck with a hammer, ringing in his ears with a split down the middle. His arm twisted backwards but really hadn't moved and his chest closed in with pressure though there was nothing there.

Whimpering in pain he pressed himself against the cold floor, having nothing to do and no one to turn to. Never in his life had he wished for death more than that moment, but sadly he had no weapon with which to spare himself. A gentle pair of arms wrapped around his quivering torso, lifting him up on his broken legs, supporting all his weight for there was no way for him to do it himself.

"You saw what happened," it wasn't a question and instantly Lorren knew the voice. Meekly he nodded, groaning with the pain that twisted in his skull. "That was every night, or at least every other for Darrian and I; that is what happened. You must tell her that, tell her what you saw, what you felt. Tell her we tried everything but nothing would help him and neither could she. It was all my fault, I knew his only way out was death, and that's what the others would have done if they had known," her voice quivered and broke with pain "but I wouldn't let them. I couldn't let them kill him. It's all my fault. Tell her that."

"Tell who?" he gasped.

"Elizabeth, you have to tell her everything and listen to what she had to say,"

"Alright," he complied, not seeing any other way, his brain unable to function properly under the weight of all the pain. "How do I find her?"

"Your friend will take you to her; you'll have to see her yourself-"

"I can't!" he cut her off, shocked. "I can't move, I can't even sit!"

"I will help you! You must Lorren, You will die if you do not, you will die in this hell of pain! It will only get worse, and you must help us."

This pain would kill him if he didn't find her. He could handle that, he thought. If it just killed him soon, but no, he had things to live for. He had people relying on him and people that needed him and then there was Isabella and Darrian. Lorren thought as much as he could, the memory of the dream still fresh in his mind and he knew that he had to help this poor couple. "OK."

He still couldn't see her face but he heard the smile in her voice. "Thank-you, Forest Prince,"

"One last question," he rasped, pausing as a shudder racked his broken body "did you ever kill Darrian?"

"No," she didn't hesitate in her answer.

"Then you are a horribly cruel woman…" She laughed without humor as the edges of the dark space began to become lighter.

"He told me that many times…" Everything was too bright, there was no longer any darkness and he lay in a soft bed, but not feeling any better than when he had been on the cold floor.

For a moment the room remained fuzzy and nebulous but steadily everything fell into place. Clinging to his hand, golden hair spread out across the sheets as she rested her head against his knuckles was Kara. Directly in front of him was Emily and Marlin, whispering quickly to one another as Zach and Adriane stood off to his left, watching them closely. Behind Kara stood Tasha, staring blandly at them all. Lorren looked back to Kara without moving, trying to remember what had left him in this bed. Slowly it came back to him, the midnight trip to the lab, the wolf, the attack and then the dream. Along with the memory came the pain, burning and stabbing exactly where it had been seconds before in his dream. His muscles tightened in pain and the gesture caused Kara to look up.

Upon seeing her face, the pain worsened. She look awful, he couldn't care less about her hair, clothes and make-up but the lack of work she had put into herself was so unlike Kara it shook him, her eyes were dull and her face looked so much like Darrian's had that it made him sick that she was in such pain. Her seeing his face, eyes now open, was a different story. Her dull blue eyes sparked and she swooped in on him, kissing his face viciously. "Lorren!" she cried and the others jumped, turning in shock to see him with his eyes open.

"Lorren!"

"Are you alright?"

"Oh my goodness!"

"I need to see Elizabeth," his voice shook and the last syllable turned to a hissed whisper in his pain. Zach, Adriane, Kara, Emily, Tasha, Ozzie, Dreamer and Lyra all stared at him, all confused and worried, exchanging quick glances with one another. He looked from face to face, praying that Isabella had been right and one of them would take him to her, and then he met Marlin's gaze. He looked worn out and nervous but there was an understanding there, he knew what Lorren was talking about.

"Alright, let's go."


	14. The Healer's Tale

A/N: So you're probably all getting sick of the whole "Snowlia's returned from the dead" joke by now but I do greatly appreciate what few readers have hung on through the ridiculousness of my inconsistency in updating, you guys rock! Anyway I'm on a huge Avalon kick right now as I just got the new version of "All's Fairy in Love and War" IT'S GOT PICTURES OF LORREN (Four, to be exact)! And he's on the cover! I had a breakdown in Borders. I'm a bit surprised by his appearance, but not disappointed. He's got like claws and his hair kind of looks like a mane, lol…Anyway, here is chapter…14!

"What?" Tasha gasped, a look of incredulous horror upon her green face. "You can't go anywhere," she hissed "it'll kill you!"

Lorren gritted his teeth as he sat up, gently swinging his legs over the side of the bed and trying to situate himself. His trousers were torn and the skin that showed through was patched with bandages but all in all his legs were better off than the rest of him. Swiftly so as to not prolong the pain of the movement, Lorren rid himself of the splits that held his arms in place.

Kara grabbed one of his arms and he let out a hiss of pain. She loosened her grip but did not let go. "What are you talking about?" her voice rose into pitches he had never heard before, her eyes wide with something dangerously near hysteria. Lorren could not answer, his tongue was too heavy with pain and fatigue. He only gave her a forced smile and stood.

The pain was unbelievable. It burned him, speared him, broke him, but he had to go to Elizabeth. He wished very much that his brain could wrap itself around what was actually happening, around his friends beside him, but it couldn't. In fact, he was having trouble even seeing his friends. The world was tilting, turning colors that it shouldn't be. Everything was in fragments, stopping and starting and he was having difficulty telling how close or far away anything was.

Briefly he saw the shocked and horrified faces of his friends as he stepped awkwardly past them. His leg was broken, he was sure of it. The way the pain shot up the bone and reverberated through his entire skeleton, shaking him inside more than out. Had the lights in the castle always been so bright? Lorren felt his eyes burning from the harsh glare. The voices around him were very loud, like they were screaming in his ears and yet he couldn't make out a single word.

He had hardly taken more than five steps and already he was exhausted and his skin was burning on his bones. How could it not be on fire, how could it not be melting right off of him as hot as it felt? His tears streaking down his stony face felt like hot oil but he didn't falter. He knew if he stopped to think of any of it he would certainly collapse and finally do what his brain was begging him to do, die.

Suddenly it was slightly easier to walk; his bones didn't feel quite like they were snapping with each movement. Confused Lorren blinked at Marlin, had he always been that color? Regardless, Lorren leaned against him as he helped support him, grateful for the help. Marlin yelled something at the others, still unmoving and shocked as Lorren flinched at the harsh sound. Zach was on his other side then, holding him up as Marlin continued talking very swiftly, and a bit more quietly, to the girls.

When he stopped Lorren looked him straight in the eye, he couldn't find the words to ask the question but he was pretty sure Marlin got the message _'Do you know where she is?'_ Wordlessly Marlin nodded. Lorren could tell he was whispering to the others but it still rang in his skull.

Walking was a slightly less daunting task with Zach and Marlin on either side of him, he didn't know what had become of the girls, had they run on ahead or were they behind them? The world pulsed again, stopping and starting, changing colors and form, tilting and turning, all seemingly in time with his spastic heart.

Then the burning was gone and the world before him was tinted blue instead of red. The relief was so great that he stumbled and almost fell to his knees in thankfulness. His bones were still breaking, his organs still twisting and his head still pounding but the white hot heat was gone, the source of the Healer's magic originating somewhere on his shoulder blades. For a moment Lorren was sure he was in love with Emily and was determined to make her queen once this ordeal was over.

The healing magic doubled as he felt another presence shooting through his being, intrusively trying to assess how much pain he was truly in and obviously not liking the results. A twitch of a smile formed on Lorren's thin lips, he would have given anything to assure Kara he would be alright, but he couldn't even assure himself that as the world gave another frightening tilt to the left. Zach caught him and Marlin pulled him back to the right, holding him steady as the pain flared and the hallway moved in ways it shouldn't have been able to.

From there on the world was in and out for Lorren as he temporarily blacked out and yet somehow was able to keep moving. Somewhere in the back of his mind, whether he was awake or not, he heard an annoyingly persistent voice pushing him forward, telling him not to think or to give up. He wanted very much to close off that voice but unfortunately there seemed to be no off switch. Fragments of the world passed by. Tasha's alarmingly pale face standing next to a shimmering mirror; the white hot burning returning as Emily momentarily released her grip of his shoulder; moonlight reflecting off the high towers of the Aquatania castle: Zach stumbling on the stone steps; and finally the dark waters of the cavern.

Isabella's voice stopped, slowly it had faded the closer he came to her old friend and now he could feel Elizabeth. She wasn't far off. He stopped walking and pulled his mangled arms away from Zach and Marlin, continuing on without their aid. They kept close beside him though as he waded up to his navel in the water. Wherever it touched him he felt the pain weaken, though it still never left him. Emily never released her grip, probably still weary of how he had almost collapsed when she had let go before.

His heart still burned though, still beat wildly against his ribs, bruising and beating them. The pounding in his skull still hadn't subsided yet either, it felt like it was trying to free itself of his skin. Without a thought in his head Lorren sunk to his knees, submerging himself entirely in the water.

Roughly and panicked, six pairs of hands came down on him and hoisted his head above the water again. He coughed as he had inhaled a good deal of it and his vision blurred as drops clung to his eyelashes but the world was so much clearer. Everything was the color it should be and the cavern stood still and unmoving.

"Elizabeth!" Marlin called and though the sound was louder than Loren would have preferred he didn't feel his eardrum splitting from the yell. With a glance down Lorren saw the water around him was tainted with swirls of red, his bandages were slipping and dissolving in the water and the blood along with them. All six of his friends had their hands on him supportively. Crowding close on either side was Marlin and Zach and just in front of them, their hands on him more reassuringly than actually supportive were Tasha and Kara. Emily's healing hands still sat gently on his shoulder and he felt Adriane's hands burning with the Warrior's fire just under his upper arms.

Lorren watched as the water dimly glowed with a pale blue light, the only hint as to what was coming. There were shrieks and cries of alarm as the water was broken roughly by a deep red figure, breaking the surface with an explosion of water and twisted through the water like a snake until it was right in front of them. The sudden burst startled Lorren, but didn't surprise him.

He was nose to nose with a large hippocampus, its longs face forcing it to turn one way or the other to see him with only one eye at a time. The beast's forelock was dripping wet like the rest of her, it covered most of her face like a veil as it clung to her like a second fur. "Good work, he wouldn't have survived much longer," she gently commended.

"Who are you!" demanded a shivering Kara.

With a swish the hippocampus was in front of the shocked blonde, watching her intently. "Why by God, you look just like her,"

"No she doesn't," Lorren interrupted angrily. Isabella's pained and defeated face swam before his eyes. No, she looked nothing like his Kara.

The water horse turned her head and looked at him again, sadly, but said nothing.

"Everyone," Marlin choked after a moment of stunned silence "this is Elizabeth." No one said anything.

"Yes," she continued, an uncertain edge in her voice "and you have a message for me." She didn't turn to Lorren until after she had finished speaking.

"She says it was her fault," the words were out of his mouth before he could control them. It all flowed out so quickly, like it wasn't even him speaking anymore. The story of what he had seen, of what he had felt and of what Isabella had said afterward, the macabre tale all just seemed to tell itself.

"The Beginning of the End," Zach concluded after a moment of stunned silence.

"What?"

"That's what it meant when the book said 'the beginning of the end for the Blazing Star', she stood by Darrian while that thing was controlling him and it all fell apart for her,"

"Doesn't seem like he got to good of a deal either," Kara whispered hoarsely, her face pale as she pulled herself closer to Lorren. Exhausted, he rested his cheek against the top of her soaked head.

"Alright Elizabeth," Marlin sounded even more brusque than usual as he glared down at the old healer "you told me you'd tell us the whole story if I brought the rest of the group. We're all here now." There was no question in his statement.

With a sigh that made the water around her muzzle bubble, Elizabeth watched them all warily. "Yes, I do suppose that was the deal…"

"What about Lorren?" Tasha demanded before she could continue.

Elizabeth paused again, her mouth already open as she was about to begin but she closed it slowly again as she looked at the battered and bruised goblin. "He will be alright," she assured steadily "my power is already working, he will have a few scars as souvenirs though." She smiled sadly.

Lorren felt Tasha press against him on the other side, she was shaking.

"Now, what happened?" Adriane demanded, every bit as impatient as Marlin now.

"It was a very, very long time ago. Everything was just getting settled in this realm."

"We know," Zach interrupted quietly, almost shyly "we know all about you all from the Book."

For a moment Elizabeth looked surprised and then she smiled "Of course, I keep forgetting my dear friend Merenakawo's dictations. Yes well, you know our story; eerily similar to your own I must say. It all started so well, we reunited the realm, pulled it out of the darkness and all together." She sighed sadly "It didn't last though."

"Darrian," Lorren panted after a moment. All eyes turned to him and Elizabeth nodded.

"Yes, Darrian. He tried to kill Cody." Elizabeth's voice was tight and silence engulfed them.

"Why?" Emily whispered.

"I don't think he wanted to," Lorren looked directly at Elizabeth.

"No, now I don't believe so either." She sighed sadly. "I wish I had known then what I know now. Perhaps I could have been of more assistance. It still rather surprises me though," she paused to consider Lorren curiously "that Isabella spoke to you."

"She-she spoke to me too." Kara's voice quivered as she tried to remain calm. Lorren looked gratefully at her from where she was pressed protectively against his side. The rest of his friend's faces were blank, pale and tight but for the most part unreadable. Kara's expression was cloudy for a moment as an internal battle waged behind her controlled features "I saw him too," she confessed "The Forest Prince, I think."

Lorren stared at her, open mouthed. "Why didn't you say anything?" Adriane beat him to the question.

Kara's cheeks reddened and Lorren watched as she braced herself for a retort in self-defense. He pressed his face gently against her hair again in a soothing gesture, silencing the comment on her tongue.

"That, I would believe." Elizabeth wove herself into a circle in concentration.

"Wait," Adriane spoke up again, her voice hard with suppressed emotion "they're all alive?"

Another pause fell over them as Elizabeth swam in another circle. "No, at least I thought not." She ducked her head under the water and then resurfaced. "I knew Cody, Darrian and Merenakawo were still alive. I did not think the others were." She stopped again, looking so lost that it sent a ripple of panic through the group. Their only guide through this all had no idea what was going on.

Elizabeth spun another circle before continuing "Darrian attacking Cody in the middle of the night was only the beginning for us though. It kept escalating and escalating. Alden and I, we tried to remain neutral, we didn't want a war but that was what it came to." She paused and purposefully looked at them all. "Many people, many good people, were killed as a result."

"What happened then?" Marlin persuaded as she circled again and again in silence.

For a moment Elizabeth didn't respond and Lorren felt Zach about to ask as well when she stopped him. "Isabella and Victoria killed one another."

Again, there was nothing to be said.

"Alden was caught in the crossfire." Elizabeth spoke so calmly, so steadily that no emotion shown through, but her eyes glittered in the moonlight. "And then…" she trailed off and looked down at her winding tail "somehow, this happened…"

"You became a hippocampus?" Emily elaborated emotionlessly.

She nodded expressionlessly back. "Yes."

"And Cody became a mistwolf." It wasn't a question.

"And The Forest Prince a horse." All eyes turned to Kara but she took no notice. "He was a horse in my dream."

"Who did it?" Tasha asked finally. "Who would have enough power to keep you in another form for so long?"

Elizabeth shook her head and circled. "For the longest time it was a mystery, an assumed effect of the Blazing Star and Warrior magic but now I don't think so. I believe," she looked directly at Lorren "it was whatever attacked Darrian and caused him to do such horrible things that changed us as well."

"But why?" Zach cried desperately. "Why would someone do something so horrible?" Elizabeth had no answers.

"So what do we do now?" Emily sounded weak and Marlin rested his free hand on her shoulder.

Elizabeth looked at them all in the moonlight, the sound of the waves lapping the cave walls suddenly very loud in all of their ears. "I believe that whatever attacked us so many years ago is stirring again and causing unrest among all of us, our only hope is to convince Cody and Darrian to help us."

"But, they hate each other," Adriane pointed out what they were all thinking.

"And Cody tried to _kill_ Lorren," Kara whispered, horrified.

The air was heavy with the thought of what had to be done in order for their lives to resume to normal, or at least to where they were before all of this began. Marlin, however, had his mind elsewhere. Something was creeping forward from the back of his memory, something that suddenly seemed of great importance.

"I saw you," he stated finally, staring right at Elizabeth.

"Excuse me?" she asked, tilting her head in consideration.

"I saw you, that stormy night a little while ago. You were out in the waves and were looking up at my window."

The healer looked concerned. "No I wasn't. I've been staying underwater, below the castle."

Marlin shook his head before she was finished "No, I saw you! I know I did! I felt all the pain…" he trailed off at the way his friends were looking at him, namely like he was insane. "I did…" he looked to Emily for reassurance.

Emily eyed him uncertainly for a moment before turning to Elizabeth. "If it wasn't you he saw, then what could it have been?"

Elizabeth fell into her longest silence yet as she swirled around and around, thinking deeply about something before finally stopping and staring at Merlin with wide eyes.

"It could have been Alden."

A/N: What do you think? Was it amazing and you want more? Or does Snowlia need to pay more attention in her writing courses?


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